


Blue Blood, Blue Eyes

by PennameAB (PenNameAB)



Series: Red, Blue; Does It Matter? [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Cats, Child Abuse, Flashbacks, Gavin is a dick, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, I can't make up my mind as to what to call RK900, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Past Child Abuse, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smoking, Tags May Change, but he gets better I swear, he has his reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-08 21:06:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 47,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15938291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenNameAB/pseuds/PennameAB
Summary: Gavin didn't need a partner. He didn't need anybody. Especially that plastic prick RK900. But they've been partnered together under Fowler's orders. Gavin only hopes that they can solve his cases fast enough so he can go back to working alone. It was just better that way. For everybody.





	1. Rocky Start

This guy was really starting to piss Gavin off. Not only was he a pain in the ass to catch – the bastard decided to run from the police when Gavin tried to make the arrest – but he also put up one hell of a fight. Once the cuffs were on him, the asshole decided it would be the perfect time to smash the back of his head into Gavin's nose. The drive back mostly consisted of Gavin trying to get the blood flow to stop. He was sure it wasn't broken. Pretty sure. God he hoped it wasn't broken.

The walk into the precinct wasn't any easier. The perp just kept trying to jerk away from him, like making a run for it while inside a police station was smart. On the way to the holding cells, the guy managed to jam his elbow into Gavin's nose. Again. Blood starting to flow from his nose. Again. "Fucking Christ! Would you stop with that already!?" Gavin yelled as he shoved the guy into the holding cells while clutching at his nose. He really hoped it wasn't broken now. God it hurt like a bitch!

Gavin didn't wait around as the perp started to yell threats and profanities at him from behind the glass. The detective hurriedly marched into the break room to gather towels to clean up the blood, some dripping onto the floor.

"Reed!" Fowler yelled at him from his office. Gavin didn't stop walking towards the break room. "My office, now!"

"One minute Cap," Gavin responded, just making it through the entrance of the break room.

"Now, Reed," He ordered.

The detective let out an annoyed huff, turning on his heel to walk right towards the office. If the captain wanted to see him now, then he'd have to deal with Gavin bleeding all over his fucking office. Gavin stalked right into the glass room, no longer holding his nose as he let blood drip down his lips and chin, plopping onto the floor with big drops.

"I know you just go – Christ Reed, the fuck!?" Fowler had started before he looked up from his desk to see Gavin bleeding onto the floor.

He gave him a nonchalant shrug. "What Captain? You wanted to see me?" He smirked a bit as the captain shook his head.

The man brought a box of tissues out of his desk and threw it onto the desk for him. "Stop bleeding on my floor."

"I don't know Cap," He snarked, "I think a splash of color does it some good." He flashed the man a bloody smile before grabbing fistfuls of the tissues to press against his nose to try and stop the bleeding. "I swear, the blood on the guy is all mine. I didn't rough him up…too much," He promised the captain, figuring that's why he was called into the office. After all, Gavin's shirt was covered in his own blood, the perp was so wiggly trying to get him in that it wouldn't surprise him if he was covered in it too.

"Sure it is Reed – "

"It is!"

Fowler held up his hand to stop his protest. "- but that's not why I called you into my office." Gavin gave him a quizzical look.

"Then…? It wasn't just to see me bleeding was it? You're a sick son of a bitch if it was."

"Reed, that's enough!" Fowler pinched the bridge of his nose. "The reason why I called you in here today is because I'm assigning you a partner."

Gavin shook his head. "Cap I don't need a partner, I'm fine on my own." He protested removing the tissues from his nose as he gestured with his hands. His nose was still bleeding.

"Your face says otherwise." Gavin glared at the captain, pressing the tissues back against his nose. "Everyone is stretched thin enough as is, we need all the help we can get – "

"Then assign someone else a partner! I don't need one!" Gavin protested.

Fowler glared at him as he waved someone over with two fingers. Gavin wasn't even aware that there was someone else in the room. He looked over his shoulder towards the back corner of the room where a figure had been standing patiently waiting. He – no it – walked forward and offered Gavin an extended hand to shake.

"Hello Detective Reed. I am RK900 – "

"Oh hell no! Are you fucking serious!?" Gavin turned back to address the captain. "Isn't one of those plastic pricks enough for this station!?" He glanced out the side of the window to see Hank and his android sitting at their desks, discussing something. Gavin growled as he turned his attention back to the captain.

"Reed, this isn't up for discussion," The captain tried to press.

"The fuck it isn't! Can't you assign it to someone else?"

"You're the only one that needs the help – "

Gavin reeled back, defensive, tissues under his nose long forgotten as he bared his teeth. "I do not need help!"

"Aside from Hank, who already has Connor, you're the next person with the heaviest case load. You're going to work with RK900 until you two get it under control. Now get the fuck back to work." Fowler used his no nonsense tone which should've been Gavin's first clue to just shut his trap and just walk out of the office but he was too angry to really pay attention to that red flag.

"I can handle it by myself Captain, I don't need a babysitter!"

"I can assure you Detective Reed – " the android had started to say before Gavin whipped around to address him.

"Nobody fucking asked you!"

"Reed, that's enough! The decision has been made! Now get back to work before I write you up again!"

Gavin snarled as he exited the room hastily. The door hinges didn't allow him to throw it closed like he wanted to, hearing the rattling would've been satisfying. He stomped passed Hank and his pet angrily.

"Ho ho, looks like somebody else got themselves a partner," Hank chirped from his desk. Gavin glanced over to him, seeing that he was leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. The detective bared his teeth as he threw his blood covered tissues at him. "Oh gross Reed! What are you twelve?"

Gavin flipped the lieutenant his middle finger. "Fuck you Anderson," he snapped back. He made it over to his desk, about to sit down when he heard the sounds of drops against the surface. "Fuck," he hissed, putting his hand up to his nose. He pulled his hand back to see fresh blood on his fingers but it wasn't as heavy as it was before. He turned to stalk back to the break room to get some more tissues when he almost ran into it. His new 'partner.'

"Perhaps I can provide some assistance?" It questioned. Gavin wasn't sure what pissed him off more, the fact that it looked like Connor – like literally the spitting image of Hank's fucking pet – or that it was standing so fucking close to him.

Gavin tried to push passed him, only to have the android not move a muscle so Gavin had to walk around the damned thing. "Fuck off," he snapped at it as he stomped away. He made it to the break room only to see that they were out of napkins. Today was just going downhill fast. Gavin threw his hands up in frustration. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" He stated rather loudly before he placed his hand on his nose to pinch it closed so no more blood could escape. He, once again, turned his heel to walk out of the break room and towards the restrooms only to see it standing right there behind him. Gavin gritted his teeth. "The fuck you following me for?"

"I am directed to assist you in any way that I can," it responded cooly, expressionless.

"I don't need help! Especially from you!" Gavin yelled as he tried to shoulder check the thing. It shifted slightly, but otherwise didn't move. Honestly, Gavin was sure it hurt him more than it hurt that thing. Oh wait, right, they didn't feel pain. But shit, that thing felt sturdy. He rolled his shoulder as he marched towards the restrooms. He made it to the paper towel dispenser and grabbed several of them. He was about to just turn and leave when he caught himself out of the corner of his eye in the mirror. He turned to it, cringing a bit at his appearance. He definitely looked worse for wear. Blood was crusting all around his nose and chin. His shirt was a bloody mess and his nose just kept bleeding. He looked down, the white porcelain of the sink dotted with the red of his blood. It was such a stark comparison. He tried not to think of the memories that threatened to pop into his mind.

Gavin huffed slightly as he wet the paper towels in his hand to try and clean up his face. He scrubbed at his mouth and chin, his skin turning red from the pressure he was applying. His face was now all cleaned up but he had to grab some more paper towels to shove up his nose to make sure he didn't make a mess anymore. His face was cleaned but his shirt and chest were still covered. He sighed as he started to shrug off his leather jacket and hoodie to attempt to clean his shirt. He had just placed his jackets onto the sink next to him when the door to the restroom opened and closed. He didn't look up away from the mirror, even as the footsteps he heard started to come over towards him.

He used the reflective surface of the mirror to look in that direction, eyes first catching on the two bright blue ones staring at him through the reflection. Their gazes locked for only a second before Gavin looked away from him and back towards himself in the mirror. "Didn't know androids had to piss."

"We don't." It stepped closer to him, causing Gavin to look at him over his shoulder. Unlike Connor, this android was wearing a white and black Cyberlife jacket with it's make and model over the breast. It stood with its hands behind its back, head up and straight, like it knew it was superior to humans. It made it look smug, Gavin hated it already.

"Then what are you doing in here?" Demanded the detective.

The android simply blinked slowly at him. "It would appear that we've gotten off on the wrong foot. I was curious if there was any way I could make this transition easier for you."

Gavin gritted his teeth. Was this thing really so dense? "I told you already, fuck off."

"I'm afraid I can't do that Detective Reed."

Gavin pushed away from the sink to face the thing. He stepped into his personal space, jamming his finger into its chest. "Stay out of my way. Stop fucking following me. And do whatever I say when I say it. Is that understood?" It just stared at him with a blank expression. Gavin gritted his teeth as he took the collar of its jacket into his fists. "Is. That. Understood?" He asked again, punctuating every word.

Still no response. He was about to just punched the damned thing when the door to the restroom opened and closed once again. Gavin peeked over the thing's shoulder to see Hank standing there. "The fuck you want?"

Hank shrugged at him with a smirk. "What? A guy can't take a piss?" He then walked to one of the urinals to do just that. Once Gavin heard him unzip his pants, he let go of the android's jacket. He grabbed his own from where it was resting on the sink, seeing out of the corner of his eye that it was straightening out its own jacket before Gavin stormed out of the restroom. It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to any and everyone who has read this fic. I'm currently planning on this containing three arcs so it will be a long one. Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and lets me know that you guys actually do enjoy this. I don't exactly have a set schedule as to when I'll be uploading these so please be patient with me. I would like a beta for this so if you're interested, please let me know!
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys soon!


	2. Motel 6

He couldn't wait to get home. Seriously. He just wanted the day to end already. He had just enough time to run to his car to grab a spare shirt – because fuck he kept forgetting he didn't have one in his locker – to change out of his bloody one and then all hell broke loose. It wasn't that there was more crime going around. It was just that ever since the android revolution, anything regarding the damned things, like assault and deactivation, had to be handled like a real crime. Which meant more paperwork to be done and more leg work for the officers to do. And they were stretched thin as is before the revolution. It was really showing now, especially since the people that ducked out of town had yet to return back to Detroit. Not many officers left the city but just enough to put a strain on the rest of them. It had been nearly a year and Gavin had hoped that they would've recovered by now. If not recovered then adjusted and caught up with the work load. Which, of course, was not the reality they were facing.

Instead, they were overworked and now Gavin had to deal with his own android following him around like a fucking puppy. Was this how Anderson felt when Connor first came into the precinct? Boy, did he not envy him at all.

Gavin was currently typing away at his desk, trying to get all the paperwork he had to do caught up. God he hated paper work. When he took a moment to let his eyes glance around the precinct, he saw multiple of his coworkers bringing in people for various reasons. Mostly crimes to be locked up but there were some who had to give statements or were reporting things they didn't like. At least he didn't have to deal with the influx of pedestrians. That wouldn't end well.

His eyes danced over towards where Hank and Connor were working. Connor was facing the same way that he was, towards Fowler's office but his 'partner' had its back to him. He scoffed. Of course the bucket of bolts wasn't doing anything. They were no good for anything!

What was odd though was that Connor looked rather…stiff? Uncomfortable? Could androids even feel uncomfortable? Hank would argue yes, since he jumped on the band wagon that they had feelings and shit like that. Gavin, he still wasn't convinced. He grumbled as he turned his attention back to his report. At least the thing wasn't pestering him. That was a relief.

He didn't look back up from his screen until he heard a loud commotion coming from the holding cells. He pushed his chair back so he could get a better look. It looked like the guy he brought in earlier was being escorted somewhere. And he was giving the officer one hell of a time. He scoffed, at least it wasn't his problem anymore. But then he watched as the perp bent forward only to throw his head back to whack the officer's head with his own. The officer let go and stumbled backwards, the perp starting to make a run for it.

"Hey!" Gavin yelled as he bolted from his chair to cut him off. It helped that he basically had to pass his desk if he wanted to make it out of the building. "Fucker!" He yelled as he tackled him into the wall. Gavin grabbed onto his arm, twisting it painfully so the guy would stop fighting as he held him against the wall.

"Ow, ow, ow! That fucking hurts!"

"Yeah well so does a head to nose, call us even" He grumbled as he peeled him away from the wall as the officer came up to them. It was officer Tina Chen, someone he talked to quite a bit on breaks. "Hey Chen, smooth escort."

"Shut up Reed," She snapped as she tended to her nose. At least it wasn't bleeding like his was earlier. But her eyes were still watering from what he could tell. "Thanks for catching him."

Gavin nodded his head, still holding the guy in place despite his attempts to pull away. "Eh, any excuse to tackle someone," he smirked as she moved to grab at him again. "You sure you got him this time? Hate to see him get loose again," he joked.

If looks could kill, the one she shot him would've put him six feet under right then and there. "Fuck you Reed. I got him," she reassured the detective, causing him to back off as she continued to escort him away.

"Love you too Chen!" He chirped at her as she walked away, flipping him the bird. Gavin stayed where he was, watching with his eyes just to make sure the guy didn't try anything funny with Tina. He waited until they both were out of eyeshot before turning back to his desk.

And it was standing right there behind him. He jumped upon seeing it, hand reflexively going to his gun. "Jesus fuck!" He had to take a calming breath to settle his heart. He didn't like people sneaking up on him.

"Your reaction time was impressive, Detective Reed," it tried to compliment. But Gavin knew that wasn't the end of the sentence. 'For a human,' surely it wanted to say. He glared at it, rolling his shoulder slightly as he moved to get back to his work station. When he sat down and moved to go about typing his report again, he saw the thing's LED blue light reflecting on his screen.

"Don't you have work to do?" He went back to his report, trying to remember where he was before he had to smoosh a guy like a bug against the wall.

"It would easier for me to assist you if I were to have a work station."

Gavin grit his teeth together. "Then go fucking ask for one. The fuck you want me to do?"

There was a moment's pause. "I was told you would be able to place me."

He scrubbed at his face with frustration. Of course Fowler would say that. Of fucking course! He quickly looked around, trying to spy an empty desk so Gavin wouldn't have to be next to this thing. The only one that he could see was the desk that was adjacent to his own. He growled as he gestured angrily to the one in front of him. "Just fucking take that one and leave me alone."

The android moved to sit in front of Gavin. The detective stared back at his report, seeing the thing pull its skin back over his hand to reveal the white under casing and place it on the table's surface. That had been disturbing to see. Things shouldn't be able to just make their skin go away whenever they wanted to. It wasn't normal, damn it! It didn't take long before it was up and running for it to begin working. Gavin huffed under his breath. At least it was leaving him alone again. The thing creeped the fuck out of him. It started tapping away at the keyboard faster than his eyes could follow so Gavin looked away back to his report. His head would start to hurt if he kept watching.

Speaking of which, his head was already starting to hurt. Whether it was from all the noise around him, that sudden rush of excitement from tackling a perp, or from his stress levels, he didn't know. He rubbed at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger until he saw white spots. He then dropped his hand, sifting through the top drawer of his desk for his pill bottle. It took some digging, and some profanities, before he found it. Once he popped the lid off, he noticed that he only had five left. He let out a small sigh, he didn't really want to go back to the doctor to tell him that the headaches weren't getting any better. He did not want to have that conversation again. He pulled one out, capping the rest and threw it back in the drawer. Oh well, he'll deal with that later. He popped the pill into his mouth and chased it down with the coffee that was sitting at his desk. The cold coffee that was sitting there since this morning. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Cold coffee was the worse.

"Everything alright, Detective?" The thing asked from in front of him.

"Fucking peachy," he snapped, setting the coffee back where it had sat all morning.

The android was silent for a moment. "Ergotamine or Ergomar is used to combat the early symptoms of migraines. Perhaps you should take a break."

Gavin glared at the android. "The fuck you know what I'm taking?" He demanded. Had the damned thing go through his desk? When did it even have the time to do so?

"I scanned the label on the pill bottle as you brought it out. It seems you are running low on the medication, perhaps – "

"Shut up," Gavin said.

" – you should contact your doctor for a refill," it finished the sentence anyway. Gavin gritted his teeth. This was not going to help him. He pointedly ignored the thing to try and get back to work on his report. Somehow, he could just feel that thing's eyes still on him. He tried to ignore it as long as he could. Until he finally glanced over just to confirm his feeling.

He was right. It was staring at him. With cold, analytical eyes. "What?" He snapped.

"I am making sure that your vitals don't indicate that you're suffering from adverse side effects that can happen when taking Ergomar." It was so nonchalant about it. Like it wasn't a big deal that it was just sitting there and scanning him.

Gavin felt uncomfortable. Violated somehow. He couldn't hide from this thing could he? God that was fucking creepy. "Stop fucking scanning me!" He demanded.

"I apologize Detective Reed but that is not a function I can turn off." Well that didn't make him feel better.

"Then fucking look somewhere else!" God this thing was insufferable. "Fucking androids, I know the damned side effects I've been on these things long enough…" he grumbled under his breath as he tried to, once again, focus on his report.

He was just about done at this point. Paperwork, so much fucking paperwork. When would it end? When he was dead, for sure. "Detective," he heard the android speak up suddenly.

"Fucking what!? What is it now!?" This thing was really getting on his last nerves. Right then, he got an email notification pop up on his screen. 'Huh?" He hummed as he opened it, seeing a new case given to him by Fowler. He shuffled to get the tablet out of his desk to download the file for the road but his 'partner' was already standing at his side.

"I already have the file downloaded so we can head out to the scene immediately." Well that…that was actually pretty convenient. Instead, Gavin simply grabbed his keys and wallet to drive them over to the crime scene.

* * *

 

It had started to debrief him on the case file as soon as they had started driving off to the location. Apparently someone had reported a dumpster fire behind a motel. Once it was put out, it was discovered that three androids were torched inside it. It was marked as a homicide and so there they were, standing at the crime scene of three dead androids. Gavin couldn't believe it, that his life had dissolved into this. Maybe he should just retire now. Call it good. Then he wouldn't have to worry about cases like this anymore. Where he had to care as to what happened to plastics.

Too bad he loved the job too much.

The crime scene hadn't been touched except for the officers going around taking pictures and marking the different items they considered evidence. The area around the dumpster had been marked off with holographic police tape. While at most crime scenes the atmosphere was never really good or pleasant, it was particularly gloomy. Three of the five officers there at the scene were androids, from the blue arm bands that marked them as such on their uniforms. Much like the arm bands that Connor and RK900 had. They all were without their LEDs so that was the only real identifier that they had. And all of them were wearing somber expressions as they looked around the crime scene.

The two humans were the ones that were going about the crime scene while the androids were just standing around, not doing anything but looking at the carnage from different angles. Gavin walked through the holographic tape with his 'partner' on his heels. He reached into his jacket's side pocket on the inside for his notepad to start taking notes. He pulled the pen from it's spiral spine and flipped it open to a blank page. "What's the damage?" He asked the android closest to him. It didn't respond. He scoffed a bit. "Alright, seriously, cry over it later. We've got a crime scene to process so get fucking moving!" He demanded to the android, that seemed to come back to its senses. It shot him a dirty look that Gavin ignored before he moved to look inside of the dumpster.

"Seeing a dead body has caused their stress levels to rise," it said from behind him.

"They aren't dead bodies," Gavin stated bluntly. He noticed a particular smell about the air close to the dumpster. It might be accelerant. He jotted that down.

"I detect traces of an accelerant used."

Well that confirmed that hunch. He took a peek inside the dumpster. He didn't know why he was expecting it to be easier to look at than human remains but that's what he thought. The androids inside were torched black, the casings melted in some places to show the ruined biocomponents on the inside. It almost looked like the insides of a person were just exposed to the elements. Talk about disturbing. He looked over to it to see it touching the side of the dumpster with two fingers before placing them in his mouth.

"The fuck are you doing!? Don't contaminate the crime scene!" Gavin as he grabbed it's arm to pull its fingers from its mouth.

It stared at him with an unbothered expression. "I am taking a sample of the accelerant. I can run analysis of evidence on sight."

That was fucking disgusting. Gavin reeled back from grabbing the thing's arm, like it could somehow analyze him from touching its arm. "Ugh, if you're gonna do it, do it the fuck away from me then." He turned back to examining and jotting notes down of things he noticed in the dumpster. There were scratch marks on one end of the dumpster. Now while dumpsters were typically scratched to all hell, it looks like this one was recently distributed so it was fairly clean looking for a place that held trash. The paint was scratched off, and at such an angle that would imply something scratched it while being put in. It's possible that the androids did it while being dumped.

"Kerosene."

That stopped his train of thought. "What?"

"The accelerant. It's kerosene."

Now that was an odd one. He wrote that down before rubbing the back of his head. Not many people used kerosene these days. There was no need. Kerosene was used in oil lamps and such. It wasn't that hard to come by, by any means but it something that few people still used. Typically people in older homes. Or older people who were fond of it. "Do they use it here at the motel?"

"I see no orders of the chemical in their delivery manifests."

Well that ruled that out. " Any homes or buildings nearby that are older?"

"There is one abandoned building however it was an office previously in the process of being torn down."

There went that idea too. Gavin continued to look around the dumpster, hoping that maybe one of the android hate groups would've left their tag. Nothing aside from the usual graffiti. He looked down at the ground, seeing the occasional cigarette butt but not much else. "Someone come tag these and get them processed. One of them might be the perp's." He ordered as he continued to look around. An officer came over to do just that. Gavin paid them no mind.

He then took a step back to get a better look at the dumpster in front of him. He then looked down the back of the building, seeing a flickering light indicating where the back door of the joint was. Then he looked back to the street, seeing the distance between the two places. His eyes glanced over the RK900 unit that was just…standing by the dumpster with its eyes darting around. Why was it just standing around? Wasn't it supposed to help him? Fuck this thing.

"The fuck you standing around for? You gonna help or not?" He said as he tapped his foot impatiently.

It looked right at him. "You instructed me to stay out of the way."

Well fuck, he had said that hadn't he? He grumbled to himself. "Just make yourself useful and doing something, dipshit." It then started to move around the scene freely.

They both wandered around the scene, analyzing and taking not of every and anything they thought would be important. Gavin was at a loss, rubbing the back of his neck as he rolled it from side to side. "And nobody heard anything?"

"Correct."

"Saw anything?"

"The residents questioned claimed they did not see anything out of the ordinary."

"Out of the ordinary? What's ordinary around here?"

"Complaints logged have been around 'rowdy teenagers causing ruckus, tires squealing in the middle of the night, glass and metal being smashed together,' among other things."

Gavin bit the corner of his lip in thought, shifting from foot to foot. "Did anybody hear anything like that before the fire was reported?"

"I'll have some officers ask around."

Gavin nodded his head, hopefully that could get the ball rolling. He looked over to the dumpster again. He pondered a thought before putting his notebook away and walked over to it, placing his hands on the lip of it. He started to push and pull it to see how easy it was to move. "This is a lil' too close to the street isn't it? They keep them closer to the back doors so they don't have to walk so far," he noted. It was fairly difficult but he could move the dumpster by himself. He stopped pushing and pulling at it before he got down on his hands and knees, looking under the thing. "What about surveillance?"

"Nothing with a good enough angle. However, it would appear that a car was parked on the street for approximately twenty three minutes before it pulled away from the site."

Well that could just be anything. But it was still something to pay attention to. He got up back on his feet to see it walking down towards the flickering light. "The hell you going?"

"To investigate something." Where did that smart ass remark come from? Gavin grumbled as he moved to follow the android. He was about two steps behind him before it stopped abruptly and stuck its arm out to stop him.

"What?"

It nodded it's head down to a puddle. "Kerosene." So it would appear that someone managed to spill a bunch while they were dousing the dumpster. Maybe they had multiple canisters. It's possible that someone even got a bit on themselves as well. Gavin looked at how far the puddle was from where the dumpster was moved. "After analyzing the scene, I've concluded that the perps dragged the androids down to the original location of the dumpster and moved it after one of them spilt the accelerant onto the ground. It's possible they got a bit on themselves as well."

That…was quite impressive actually. "How many perps we talking?"

"At least two, whoever it couldn't be more than four. The car caught on surveillance could only seat four people."

"Anything else?"

It shook his head. "Not with the current evidence available to us. I suggest we go back to report our findings to Captain Fowler and review the evidence some more."

Gavin shrugged, checking his phone for the time. "Yeah, you can go ahead and do that, I'm off the clock now," he turned on his heel and started to walk back towards the street.

He was stopped by the android grabbing onto his arm above his elbow. He tried to pull away but it held strong. "It is currently 4:48 pm. You're still on the clock."

Gavin punched the thing in its chest to get it to let him go. "Let me go, asshole!" he demanded. His hand was hurting now but he didn't really care. He just wanted to be let go. He felt his heart rate start to pick up the longer it held him.

Instead of letting him go, it spun him around to grab both of his arms. "Detective Reed – "It tried but Gavin just struggled even harder. His breaths were coming out in short, quick breaths.

He put his hands on its chest and pushed with all his might. "Let me go!" He panted bringing his foot up placing it against to help him get leverage.

"You're going to hurt yourself," it tried to warn before Gavin just slammed his head forward to bash it in the nose. It finally let him go. While his pride and ego would say it was because of the blow, he knew it was actually because he was on the verge of hyperventilating.

He stumbled back a few steps as he was finally let go, a hand on his chest as he tried to make the pain he felt there go away. He did as best as he could to take deep calming breaths but he was just too riled up to calm down right now. He felt it place a hand on his back. Before he could even think he raised his fist up and punched it right in the jaw. His hand screamed at him in pain but at least it was distracting him from the pain in his chest. "Don't touch me. Don't ever fucking touch me," He yelled at it, still panting as he turned on his heel and briskly walked away, leaving it behind.

_Software Instability ^^^_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter two of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I hope you enjoyed it. It was definitely a little challenging to write. I've got big plans for these two so don't worry, it''ll pick up quickly in regards to action. And sorry for the cheesy title. I couldn't think of something better. Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and lets me know that you guy like what I'm doing. Let me know what you think!
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys soon with the next chapter!


	3. Choices

Gavin did what Gavin does best: avoid his emotional problems. So while maybe spending most of the night at the bar that was closest to his apartment and getting to a fight wasn't the smartest thing to do, it certainly helped make him forget about what happened with the android. Which is exactly what he needed. But what he didn't need was the raging head ache he had and the split lip that came from the fight that very next day. When his alarm woke him up screaming, he was very tempted to shoot the damned thing. And call in sick so he could just sleep off how shitty he felt. Then he remembered that they were stretched pretty thin as is, plus he didn't trust that plastic prick to not fucking something up so he dragged his ass out of bed despite everything in his being telling to just stay in bed.

And he probably should've stayed in bed. He walked into the precinct to see the thing already at the desk Gavin assigned it to, working away. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at it. He was sure that it had been about it ever since Gavin left the crime scene. A great way to show that humans were obsolete and would potentially get replaced one of these days. That didn't bode well with him.

He was just about to sit his ass down when he heard his name being called across the bullpen. "Office! Now!" Followed his name and Gavin let out a deep groan. What did Fowler want now? They didn't get much from the crime scene, what did he expect him to do? Magically make the perps appear?

So instead of sitting down, he turned to go into the office. He glanced over his shoulder to see that the trash can wasn't following him this time. At first he was relieved but then it occurred to him that that might not be a good thing. He felt a sense of dread enter his gut as he stepped into Fowler's office. Before he could even open his mouth, Fowler was tearing him a new one.

"What's this I hear about you starting altercations with RK900!? Is it really that hard for you to set aside your ego and just work with the damned thing!? You're making life that much harder for yourself, you know that!? For you and for me! Now knock it the fuck off or I swear I'll have your badge the next time you even think of putting a hand on it! Now get the fuck out of my office and work your damned case!"

Gavin had been so caught off guard and blown away that he didn't even know what to say to that. He just left the office silently, eyes wide as he had the look of shock on his face. He didn't even know what happened to piss Fowler off so badly. So what if he punched the bucket of bolts? It's not like it has feelings. It can't feel pain. And honestly, it kind of deserved it for making Gavin freak out like he did.

"The fuck you do now?" Anderson questioned as he walked passed his desk.

Gavin, for one of the few times in life, didn't have a smart ass comment to say. "Ya know…I honestly don't know." He continued walking as Connor and Anderson exchanged looks and shrugs. He sat down at his own desk, leaning back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

"Good morning Detective Reed," it said from its desk. "I have reviewed the surveillance tapes from the surrounding areas and –"

Gavin held up his hand to stop it in the middle of its sentence. "Just give me a minute."

It paused for a moment. "Detective Reed, it is imperative that we use our time as productively and efficiently –"

"I said give me a fucking minute! Christ!" He snapped at it. He rubbed his face in frustration.

"I would appreciate it if you would stop interrupting me, Detective."

Gavin groaned as he dug his palms into his eyes. "And when someone says 'give them a minute' they would appreciate it if you gave them a fucking minute," He snapped once again. He stopped trying to push his eyes into the back of his skull and dropped his heads into his desk. He glanced forward to see it staring at him with cold eyes. If Gavin didn't know any better, it looked, well, pissed. It looked like it was clenching it's jaw shut to keep from speaking, despite having no expression on its face.

He glared at it for a few moments before getting up. If this was going to be his day today, he needed coffee. He started to walk towards the break room. "Where are you going?"

"The fuck you care for?"

"Detective – "

"I'm getting some fucking coffee. Get off my dick already." It was going to be another long day.

* * *

 Whoever had disposed of those androids was sneaky about it. Like really sneaky. Like obviously not the first time they've done a crime sneaky. Which lead to a lot of dead ends. Much to Gavin's dismay. Every angle they tried to come at this thing, it just didn't lead them anywhere. They had no suspects, no witnesses, and that meant dead case. RK900 didn't seem to be taking it well. Which was saying something because it usually kept a cool expression and seemingly level head. Gavin was starting to having his suspicions about the thing to be honest. It was just too mechanical in its workings. Even Connor had done his best to mimic other humans to fit in. This thing, just didn't seem to care.

They had been working on the case for two days now, just sitting around the precinct as they tried to think of something else they could use to get them somewhere. Gavin sat at his desk with his head in his hands. He was exhausted. None stop work tended to do that. And it wasn't even the exciting kind of a work. It was the kind that left him anxious and jittery. He needed to get his hands on something, someone to arrest or chase or something! He was going stir crazy.

He heard the footsteps of someone approaching him, Gavin dropping his hands from his face to see a cup of coffee being offered to him. He blinked, following the arm up to RK900. "You haven't eaten yet today. I thought this might help." He set it on his desk in front of him and just stood there. Like it was waiting for something. Hands behind its back.

"The fuck you waiting for, a thank you? Get back to work," He bit out. He didn't go for the coffee immediately but he was grateful that it was there for him. The RK900 unit moved back to its desk to get back to work.

Gavin placed his head back into his hands. "Can't we just fix 'em up enough to get a confession or something?" He blurted out, mainly speaking to himself rather than anybody around him.

He heard a gasp come from behind him, causing him to turn in his chair to see who it was. It was a woman, standing there looking like he just cursed out her children and grandchildren. He raised an eyebrow at her. What was her deal?

"Androids are not something you can just turn on at your convenience!" Oh, she was an android sympathizer.

"Hey, if humans could be turned back on after they died, it'd make our job a lot easier," He said with a casual shrug.

She then approached him. "We are not toys for you to play with to make your job easier!" Oh…it was an android, not just a sympathizer.

Gavin gave it a deadpanned stare. "Is there something you're here for?" He asked bluntly, already tired of its shit.

It then stood straight, looking dignified and all that. "I'm here to retrieve the bodies of our dead."

"You must be Ms. Johansson. I can take you down to sign them over to you," RK900 said from behind him. It had gotten up and moved over to the other android to show it the way to go. Gavin watched as its eyes bounced from him to his 'partner.' It's offended look didn't go away.

"I refuse to be helped by someone who chooses to be someone's slave?"

Wait, what? That didn't make sense. RK900 didn't respond, in any way. No facial expression, no remark. It just stood there with its hands behind its back. "What are you going on about?" Gavin questioned.

The female android turned her head to address him as it jammed its finger into RK900's chest. "He has refused the gift! He is not free and refuses to open his eyes and see!" It sounded hysterical. It then turned its head back to 900. "I can't believe so many of our people died just for someone like you to reject the gift you were given. Is it nice being someone's pet? Don't want to think for yourself?"

Gavin had had enough. He got to his feet and shoved his arm between the two androids. He placed a hand on the female's shoulder to make her take a few steps back. "That's enough," He said seriously.

It swatted its hand away. "So the owner comes to defend his toy," she snarked.

"Alright, look here bitch," He said as he wagged his finger in its face. "I don't care what your fucking deal is sounding holier than thou but that does not give you the right to shove your beliefs on someone else. Now either get your fucking act together or I'll have you arrested for harassing an officer. Do I make myself clear?" He crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at it, waiting for an answer.

It meekly nodded its head, obviously embarrassed as to being called out like it had been. What was ironic was that it was Gavin who was doing it too.

"Good," He nodded his head slightly. "Connor!" He called. He didn't know why he called out that android, there were others that were deviant that could've handled her. Maybe he just wanted the chance to boss it around. Yeah that had to be it.

"Yes Detective Reed?" It responded warmly as it walked over. He didn't realize until just then how different Connor and RK900 just sounded. How had he mistaken them before? That was unnerving.

"Take Ms. Johansson here to the morgue to collect those bodies."

"Of course Detective, right this way ma'am," Connor then started to lead it towards the morgue to do just that. Once the two were gone, Gavin deflated a bit, his shoulders slumping down as he took a deep breath.

_Software Instability ^^^_

"Reed!" Fowler's voice yelled across the bullpen.

Gavin threw his hands up into the air in frustration. "I didn't do anything!" He called back as he turned towards the captain's office. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see RK900 staring at him quizzically. Its LED flashing yellow consistently.

"That's a fucking lie and you know it Reed! Get in here!" Gavin grumbled as he stalked towards the office, hands shoved deep into his jacket's pockets. "RK, you too!" Oh fuck, were they both in trouble? What the fuck did they do now!? They had been getting along. Kind of. For the most part…Fuck.

Once both were inside the office, Fowler had taken a seat behind his desk. "Sit." He ordered and Gavin sank his ass into one of the two chairs that was sitting in front of the desk. RK900 stood behind the second chair, standing in its usual pose. "Now I know you two already have a relatively difficult case right now. However, one has come across my desk that I'd like you to personally handle Reed." Well that was new. Fowler hardly asked for him to personally handle cases. He was immediately concerned.

"What is it?" Gavin asked as Fowler handed him a tablet with the case on its screen. His eyes scanned the folder as the captain spoke.

"Little girl, found on a bus after all the stops had been made. It's suspected that she comes from an abusive home."

"Consider it handled," Reed stated. Hank used to be the one to handle these types of cases. But ever since Cole died…well he didn't really handle them well anymore.

"I hate to put this on you Reed but you're the only guy I've got that I'm confident enough in to handle it properly."

Gavin stood up, placing the file back onto Fowler's desk. "Don't worry about it Captain. I've got this." He started to leave the office.

"RK, stay for a moment." Gavin kept walking. As he waited for RK900 to get done talking to the captain, he read up on the case file.

The girl's name was Amelia Stone. She was eight, going on nine years old. Her birthday was only a month away. Her father, James Stone, looked to be the reputable type. He was working a steady job, seemed to be an alright guy. Her mother, Nicole Stone, had various issues with alcohol and red ice in the past but nothing had come up as of late. The last recorded incident was over two years ago. Home life looked pretty normal for an eight year old. Her grades in school were average and it was noted that her teachers were concerned for Amelia because she was a lot more quiet and reserved with the other children. She was basically mute around adults she didn't know or get along with.

Gavin rubbed the back of his neck. He already knew that he'd have to come at this with a delicate touch. The only thing he had to focus on was getting her to like him. Then maybe she'd open up to him. He let out a deep sigh.

"Detective," RK900 spoke once it was beside him.

Gavin stood up and grabbed his keys and wallet. "Cool, ready to go?" He looked up to it for confirmation.

It had raised an eyebrow at him softly, curious look on its face. "Yes," it said slowly before following Gavin out to where he parked his vehicle.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading chapter three of Blue Blue, Blue Eyes. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I promise things will start picking up soon regarding Gavin and 900. These first few chapter are kind of a drag, I know. Just stick with it and I promise you won't be disappointed! Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and lets me know that you guys like what I'm doing. Don't be afraid to leave comments and/or reviews!
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	4. Cinderella

 

The drive over to social services was rather uneventful. RK900 had tried to debrief him on the case, only to find out that Gavin read the case file already. So there wasn't much for them to discuss. Gain had to admit, he was relieved that the android wasn't trying to engage him in small talk. He had heard Connor when he was first trying to work with Hank, doing what he could to break the ice and establish a relationship. It would not have gone over well if RK900 decided to do the same thing.

Gavin parked the car and made his way up to the office. Once there, he leaned against the counter as he waited for the receptionist to address him. "I'm here to see Amelia," he said to the android working the desk.

"Ah you must be Detective Reed. Right this way." Social services always creeped him out. Kind of like children's hospitals where they tried to make the rooms as homey and colorful as possible. Ya know, to make the kids comfortable. Really it just made him feel out of place and he was sure the kids here felt the same way.

Since this case was being treated as a runaway, Amelia would be kept here until her home life could be evaluated and to also see if they could find the reason as to why she was on that bus so late at night all by herself. Gavin and RK900 were lead to the meeting room, which was just a room that had toys and books and other things meant to keep a child entertained while a therapist sat in a corner and documented everything that happened. A large window was there so that anybody could see what was happening inside the room. Gavin peered through that window to see Amelia's case worker sitting in a chair while the girl sat in center of the room, just hugging her knees to her chest. He assumed that the case worker was trying to talk to her. The receptionist knocked on the glass to get the woman's attention. She addressed Amelia before making her way to talk to them in the hallway.

"You must be the detective assigned her case. I'm Mrs. Rosenberg," she extended her hand to shake.

Gavin took it. "Detective Reed." They released hands. She glanced over his shoulder to his 'partner.'

"And you are?" She asked politely.

"RK900," it responded quickly.

The woman looked taken back by that, probably expecting for it to have a name but shrugged it off anyway. "I'll have to warn you that Amelia has been unresponsive to any sort interaction since they brought her in last night. When she's in her room, she just sits there or sleeps. When she's here, she sits like this until the session is over. She has hardly eaten since they brought her in. She just won't interact with anybody."

"Have her mother and father come in yet?" Gavin asked as he turned his attention to watch Amelia.

"Yes and no. The mother yes, her father is working but plans on being by later once he's able to."

Gavin nodded his head. "May I try to talk to her?"

The case worker nodded her head, gesturing towards the door. "Be my guest." Obviously the woman didn't expect Reed to get anywhere with the girl. But there was one thing that Gavin had that the woman didn't, and that was common ground.

He walked into the room, RK900 following behind him. She looked up at him when she heard two people enter the room, then she just put her head back on her knees. Gavin moved to sit down on the ground in front of her, legs crossed. RK900 had moved to stand in the corner of the room, promptly taking the role of mere observer. He liked that, not having to deal with the android stepping on his toes as he tried to establish a relationship with this girl. "Hey there, my name is Gavin Reed. I'm a police officer here to see if you need anything."

She didn't respond but he didn't expect her to.

"I know you're probably tired of people asking you why you were on that bus all alone. Having someone bug you all day is rather annoying, isn't it?" Still no response. He picked up one of his knees to hold against his chest, much like how she was sitting and rested his chin against it. "So I'm not going to. How about I ask you some questions and you just nod your head yes or no okay?" He tried, speaking softly as he waited to see if she would respond. She didn't. Again, he wasn't surprised.

"Do you have a favorite color? Because I do. It's actually yellow, like sunflowers. They're my favorite flower too. I like to watch how tall they can get as they try to reach for the sun." Kids had a knack for pinpointing lies and truths so he wasn't going to lie to her. "Do you like flowers? There was a girl I grew up with that would make flower crowns for every kid in the neighborhood. Garlands I think they're called. Can you make one? I can. I could teach you sometime if you'd like."

Nothing else mattered to him except for gaining this girl's trust. He'd let her punch him in the face if it would help. He adjusted his head so that his cheek was now resting against his knee instead of his chin. It was kind of hard to talk like that. "How about a favorite season? I like autumn. All the leaves turn very nice colors. I also like how cold it gets but it's not too cold, ya know?"

He waited for a few more moments. Amelia didn't really move except she was now looking at him with her brown eyes instead of staring at the carpet like she had been doing earlier. That was good. She was trying to make contact with him. Gavin smiled softly at her. "You have really pretty eyes." She smiled softly at him. They continued like this for a while. Gavin just tried to keep up with idle small talk, letting her know little things about himself. Like what his favorite food was. Slowly, she had started to nod or shake her head in regards to what questions he was asking.

Gavin only pulled his attention away from her when the door to the room opened. He looked over to see Mrs. Rosenberg peeking her head inside the room. "I'm sorry Detective but I'm going to have to call this session over." He nodded his head, turning his head back to Amelia. She looked very concerned.

"Alright, I've got to get back to work now. Catching bad guys and keeping people safe is a hard job," He flashed her a smile and moved to stand up. She immediately lurched forward and grabbed onto his hand. She whimpered as she stared up at him. Gavin took a kneel in front of her. "Hey, hey, hey, I'll come back. And Mrs. Rosenberg will have my number so if you want me to come back sooner just let her know okay?" She hesitated before nodding her head slowly, and let go of his hand even slower. "Would you like a hug?" She nodded and he held his arms open for her, which she dove into, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her before he pulled away. He had to unwrap her arms around him so that he could stand up. "Bye Amelia," he waved her goodbye as he exited the room. Once he was outside, RK900 closing the door behind them, Gavin looked over to the case worker. "You have my number yes?"

She nodded her head.

"Let me know if she needs anything ok? At any time. I mean that literally, it can be fucking 2 am and I will answer."

She nodded her head again. "Thank you Detective, I'll keep that in mind." He nodded at her before they started to walk out of the office entirely. Once they were back in the car, RK900 sat there staring at him. When Gavin glanced over, he noticed that his LED was blinking yellow. He ignored it, pointing at him instead. "Don't say anything about what I said to anybody else. Got it?"

It cocked its head at him. "Are you embarrassed about the information that you shared with her?"

"Her, no." He looked away from it to turn his car over to get them back to the office. "But nobody else needs to fucking know about it." He left it at that as he drove.

"Did you lie to her?" It asked suddenly. Gavin was mid-drag in smoking his cigarette when it spoke. He looked over to it, eyebrow raised. "No," He said around the butt in his mouth. He pulled it away from his mouth, blowing the smoke out of the cracked window. "Why would I?"

"So you're favorite color is actually yellow like sunflowers, and they are your favorite flower?"

Gavin nodded his head. "Yeah…why's it such a big deal?"

"I was just curious as to why you were so honest and open with her. Your reputation within the DPD states otherwise."

"Look," He said as he pulled another breath of smoke into his lungs before expelling it. "If there's a possibility that she came from an abusive situation, that last thing she needs is another adult lying to her. She's learned that they can't be trusted so that's why she won't talk to anybody. She needs to know she has someone in her corner, someone she can trust," he explained to it. He wasn't sure why he was explaining his reasoning to the android. It's not like it could understand where he was coming from. Gavin flicked his cigarette out of the car. It had fallen silent once again. Gavin looked over to it, seeing it's LED was flashing yellow rapidly. He turned his attention back to the road and continued their drive.

* * *

 The next day, Gavin and RK900 had gone to visit Amelia's house. If they were going to prove that she ran away due to abuse, they had to see what kind of home she lived in. Gavin knocked on the front door and waiting for someone to come answer the door. The mother said she'd be home around the time they actually stopped by so hopefully they wouldn't have to wait around long.

Gavin had gotten a good look at the house as he walked up to it. Two stories with a porch and a garage. Metal chain link fence all around the yard. The lawn was pristine and still green, despite being so nearly close to the end of the season. Autumn was fast approaching Detroit again. Gavin couldn't wait to breathe in that fresh cold air. He missed how sharp the mornings smelled in Autumn. The house was brightly painted, an off beige so it didn't stick out too much. The door was a bright blue which honestly just felt like an eyesore to him. But whatever. This is why he rented, not owned.

The door opened to reveal Amelia's mother. "Oh you must be Detective Reed, come in come in." She ushered them inside. Gavin walked into the entry way, immediately seeing how just clean and crisp everything was. "If you could remove your shoes please, I'd appreciate it." Gavin grumbled as he toed off his shoes. The tiles in the entry way looked like they were freshly polished. As the woman lead them into the living room, he took note at how soft the carpet was. It was like new. "Can I offer you some refreshments? Water maybe?"

Gavin ignored the question and got right to the point. "New carpet?"

The woman feigned embarrassment but it was easy to tell she was actually proud of it. "Oh god no. We could never afford to replace it. Same ol' carpet that came with the house."

Gavin looked around some more. It was just too clean, too new looking for the house to be lived in. There were photos of a smiling family all over the walls. Some photos of Amelia as she was growing up. Typically photos that parents put up for their kids. The coffee table had a few magazines on its surface but was otherwise clean as a whistle. It was glass and the thing literally shined if the light hit it just right. He was sure that forensics could go over the place and they wouldn't be able to pull any dirt or dust from anything. It was that pristine looking. It already made Gavin uncomfortable, this feeling sitting low in his gut. "I'd like to see Amelia's room please," he stated after he felt like he got a good enough look around the living room. The mother seemed reluctant but she did just that.

"I really don't understand why she ran away like she did. She hasn't told us that anything that brings up any red flags. School is fine. She's not being bullied. I just don't understand."

"That's what we're here to find out ma'am," RK900 reassured the woman.

She lead them to a door that had 'Amelia' painted onto it in fancy script and pushed the door open. The room inside did not look like the room of an eight year old girl. "Do you have an android?" Gavin asked as he stepped inside.

"No, not anymore. As soon as the revolution happened he took off and we just haven't considered getting another one," she paused for a moment, realizing what she said. "Oh I apologize. I meant like hiring one for help around the house you know." Sure she did.

The room was just as clean and pristine as the living room. The bed perfectly made where it sat against the corner of the room to offer the most space in the center for play. Or it would be for any other child if there were actually toys in the room. The shelving across the room had these porcelain glass dolls sitting there. It made Gavin's skin itch. Like he was being watched.

"Oh do be careful, a lot of those are from my grandmother," she said once Gavin went over to pick one up.

"Right…" He said, pulling his hand away midway through trying to grab one. There were bookshelves in her room with lots of books for her to read. And the only stuffed animal he could find was one lone teddy bear sitting on the bed. But there was nothing on the floor. No dirt marks or signs of people walking on it for years. It looked brand new. Gavin licked his lips as he turned to the mother. "Actually, I would like a glass of water if you wouldn't mind," he flashed her a charming smile.

She practically lit up. "Oh of course! I'll be right back." She then turned around to go fetch one for him.

Gavin listened for her to be down the stairs before he started to quickly shuffle through Amelia's closet. She had shoe boxes with the shoes still inside, looking like they had never been wore a single day except for the odd scuff mark here and there. "Are you looking for something in particular, Detective?" It asked him as he searched.

"Look around and tell me what you see," Gavin said as he continued to look around. "And hey, warn me before she comes back up." There were dresses and skirts, pretty much what you'd expect to see in a girl's closet. There were no markings on them, again no sign of wear and tear. Like they had all just been bought from the story yesterday.

"I see a little girl's room," It stated bluntly.

"Ok, yes but what don't you see?"

"I'm not sure I understand the question."

Gavin stopped messing with the closet when he didn't find what he was looking for. He then turned to the book shelf and pointed to it. "See if you can find any books that look extremely worn, like they've been read multiple times and flip through them," he instructed before going through Amelia's dressers instead of explaining himself to RK900. It did just as it was told however, flipping through the books that showed more obvious signs of age than the others.

"What exactly am I looking for, Detective?"

"I guess you wouldn't know since you've never been a child but no kid is this clean. There's always a mess, always toys and drawings on the walls but there's nothing like that here. Something's not right." He couldn't find anything. He was looking for like a diary or journal. Surely Amelia's would've had one. Fuck, Gavin had a journal growing up to just mess around with. Even the clothes inside the dressers were folded prim and proper. The socks were bundled together not in balls but rather with the necks folded down to keep them together. It was beginning to look more and more like military or even police training. The cleanliness here could put barracks to shame.

"Detective," it warned. Gavin closed the dresser drawer and turned back around to hear the woman coming back up the stairs. He put his hands in his pockets to appear nonchalant, RK900 coming to stand at his side in its usual pose as well.

She entered the room with an iced cup of water in hand. "Here you are, Detective Reed."

He smiled at her, a fake one of course but he was good at those. "Thank you," He said as he took the cup away from her. He took a small sip as he continued to glance around. "Does Amelia have any friends that she hangs out with a lot? Maybe they've been over a few times to just hang out?"

The woman shook her head. "Oh no. Amelia knows that when she's home, she has to do her homework, study, and then read until dinner is ready."

Gavin hummed, setting the cup down on the closest dresser to him. He had a hunch. "And after she's done eating dinner?"

The woman's eyes danced between him and the cup sitting on the dresser. Gavin placed his hands back into his pockets. "Well once she's done eating, she brushes her teeth and…and then…" She then moved into the room and picked up the cup, wiping down the surface with her sleeve. She turned back to the detective. "Then she can spend time with her father and I before she goes to bed."

Gavin hummed as he nodded his head. So the mom was the one with the cleanliness issues. He would guess OCD or something similar. He then checked his phone really quick. "Oh my, look at the time. Thank you for letting us see your daughter's room and for the water but we must be getting back now."

The mother smiled. "Oh yes of course. I'll show you out." She brought the cup with her as she lead them back downstairs to the door. Once their shoes were back on, he bid her farewell before walking over to his car.

"Find anything in the books?" He asked once the door was closed and they were a fair bit a ways away from the house.

RK900 shook its head. "No Detective Reed. However, I did find something a little odd."

They got into the car. "And that was?"

"One of the books was creased so badly that it opened to a story. A fairy tale actually."

"Okay?" He questioned, wondering where it was going with this.

"Well, the story was of Cinderella." Now that was interesting.

* * *

 "I'm telling you Cap, something isn't right about it," Gavin stated with his hands on the back of one of the chairs in Fowler's office as he leaned forward.

"Unless the girl actually says something, or you can find concrete evidence to suggest what you're saying, then there's nothing we can do." He knew Fowler was right, just following policy.

But Gavin didn't like it. He could feel it in his gut. Something was wrong with that house. They were doing something to that little girl but she was just too afraid to say it outright. He had been hoping to find her diary to help prove his feeling but they had come up empty handed. He growled. "I can feel it in my gut Captain. They're doing something to her."

Fowler didn't budge. "And while you may get that impression, a gut feeling isn't enough to say she can't go back to her parents." He knew he was being the voice of reason. Gavin knew that Fowler was just doing his job. But damn it if he didn't do his in keeping that little girl safe!

He gripped the chair under his hands, picking it up slightly only to slam it down on the ground to emphasize his point. His frustration. His determination. "The fucking house looks like a clean room!" Fowler gave him a pointed glare, warning him to keep his tantrum in check. Gavin released his hold on the chair, standing straight as he crossed his arms over his chest. "There's no feeling in her room, no personality. It's like a holding cell damn it." Gavin looked over to RK900 who had been standing there quietly ever since they entered Fowler's office. Gavin waited until it glanced over to him, gesturing his head towards the captain. "Tell him Nines." He looked back at the captain as he waited for his 'partner' to back him up. Only he didn't hear anything come from the android. He looked back over to him, sneer on his lips. The thing was staring at him with a shocked expression, one of the few times its actually emoted. Its LED was flashing red, yellow, red again. He waited one more moment. "Did your fucking system shut down or something? Help me out here," he demanded.

Its LED turned yellow as it turned its attention to Fowler. "I," he started slowly, "think that more information must be gathered before I can provide valid input."

"Oh come on!" Gavin threw his hands up in the air with frustration. He couldn't even count on the damned thing to have his back. Fucking great! Why was he expecting anything less!?

"Gavin, I think RK is right. Take some more time, try to find me some solid evidence and then we can move forward." Gavin let out an irritated but resigned huff. Fine, he'd get evidence then. He didn't know how but he would or damn it, he was going to turn in his badge! He stalked out of the office, RK900 following closely behind him.

Once they were in the middle of the bullpen, Gavin turned on it. He glared at it with all the frustration and anger he was containing within him. "Thanks for having my fucking back in there you overpriced toaster." Probably not his best insult, he would admit that. But he was angry. He was frustrated. He was so close to grabbing his hair and just ripping it out.

And it! It just looked at him with that same blank expression that it always had! No response to what he said, just nothing. He was pretty sure that's what pissed him off most about it. "I stand by my statement of requiring more information."

"Fuck you!" He then stormed off. He needed a cigarette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading chapter four of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I hope you all enjoyed this softer side of Gavin. It was very interesting to write! Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and lets me know that you guys like what I'm doing. I hope to hear from you all!
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	5. Sleepover

His days were stretched thin. He was barely eating, couldn't sleep. All around, Gavin Reed was not a happy camper. When RK900 wasn't hovering over him to get his work done, he was spending time with Amelia to get her to feel comfortable around him. It was happening, albeit slowly. She was now responding to his questions with simple words and phrases. But if she could help it, she liked to just shake her head yes or no so Gavin did what he could to cater to that little quirk. He learned that her favorite season was Autumn as well. Her favorite color was actually teal, despite the alarming number of pink items in her room in regards the clothes and furniture. While she liked sunflowers, they weren't her favorite. She actually didn't have a favorite flower because she liked too many of them. If she had to pick though, she really liked lilies.

He could also tell that despite Amelia opening up to him, her case worker was getting frustrated with his constant visits. Apparently the girl still refused to talk to Mrs. Rosenberg. Amelia just didn't like her. Not that he really blamed the kid. Honestly he'd rather hang out with RK900 or even Connor than hang out with that woman. She seemed nice at first but the more times that they saw each other, the colder she was starting to behave towards him. Like it was making her mad that Amelia was opening up to him rather than her.

Gavin had even reserved his weekends to spend with Amelia. Well more like planned to. He had only spent one weekend just hanging out with her so far. On Saturday Gavin had gotten permission to take her out to a local park near the office just to get her outside. She was reluctant at first, Gavin was expecting that. But he mainly took her because he knew that that park still had some nice flowers in bloom. Amelia hadn't gone to play with the children that were crowding around the equipment, but rather, Gavin sat her down in an area off to the side in a nice patch of grass and showed her out to make a garland. It took most of the day for her to get it down but by the end, she had been able to make a crown that she placed onto his head. So Gavin gave her the one that he made. The two then went out to eat at a nearby fast food joint. Amelia was didn't voice any opinion one way or the other as to what she wanted to eat. But she was really hopeful to get some ice cream so Gavin was more than willing to get her a cone. They ate in silence inside the dining area, crowns still on their heads.

Sunday was a movie day. They sat in an entertainment room and just watched movies that the staff had available to them. Of course, movies meant popcorn. Gavin was able to smuggle some chips and soda into the room as well so that's what they snacked on all day. It had only been a week since Gavin had met Amelia but he had been hoping that she would've told him by now about her home life. Surely she knew that if she didn't say something, then she'd be sent back. But honestly, if Gavin was in her position, he probably wouldn't say anything either. When you get so used to abuse, it just becomes a part of your every day life. You don't realize how bad it is, or was, until you're taken away from the situation and had some time to reflect. Gavin didn't realize how bad his home situation was until he got into the police academy. That's when he learned that normal kids didn't go through what he did.

Now he was back to working small cases. Catching petty thieves and taking statements for harassed individuals. Just the same old stuff day in and day out. That didn't stop him from being stressed though. Within a week's time, Gavin had turned from a casual smoker to a chimney almost over night. At least, that's what it felt like. Not only did he have his small cases to investigate, close, and file the paperwork but he was also handling two big ones too. While they got put on the backburner for right now, he was still keeping watch for any disposed androids like the ones in the dumpsters. And of course, spending time with Amelia was more work than play because he was working to get her to just trust him enough to say something. So he didn't have a lot of down time right now. So that meant, smoking.

Currently he was outside, doing exactly that after RK900 and him had returned back from the precinct to investigate a robbery. Guy broke in, took some cash and jewelry, ran. They were able to get a good description of him though so it was only a matter of time before he was caught and turned in. Gavin was leaning against the building as he indulged himself with his cancer stick. Rk900 stood close but not too close. If Gavin didn't know any better, he'd say it hated the smell.

"Upon analyzing your tobacco intake, if you keep up this pace then you're going to lower your life expectancy but twenty eight years," it said suddenly, casually, without prompt.

Gavin raised an eyebrow at it, blowing out the smoke he had in his lungs. "With this job, I'd be lucky to live long enough for the cancer to do its job," He admitted bluntly. There was no point in hiding it. Gavin was pretty sure he'd be killed on the line of duty, taking down some big shot with a gun or something.

"The likelihood of you being shot has been reduced by eight percent ever since I have been assigned as your partner."

Gavin rolled his eyes. "Well whoop-de-fucking-doo." His voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

"It would still benefit your health to reduce your smoking habits."

He glared at it, pushing off of the wall to approach it. "What are you my mother?" He questioned as he took one final drag from his cigarette. He then blew smoke into its face as he put the stick out against the blue triangle on its coat. He had just enough time to flick the butt away when it moved faster than he could stop it. It reached around, grabbed his hood and pulled it over his head. "The fuck!?" He cried as his head was jerked down a bit. He used a hand to shove his hood up where it wasn't holding onto the fabric and tried to throw a punch at it. It merely brought its own hand up to stop his fist, hand closing around it to keep it still. It then pulled Gavin's hood down even lower, effectively covering his eyes and most of his face. "Gah!" He tried to pull his hand away from it but it had his fist in a firm grip, not letting him pull away.

_Software Instability ^^^_

"I was merely stating my concern for you health, Detective Reed. You don't need to respond with violence," it stated rather calmly.

With his eyes covered, Gavin couldn't see if it was making a face or not. Or even its LED to give him some semblance of understanding of what was going on through its head. He tried to push his hood up with his free hand but it didn't relent. His fight or flight was starting to kick in so he was starting to get desperate. "Fine, whatever! Fucking, let go dipshit!" It let go of his hand but didn't let go of his hood. He tried using both hands this time, it still not letting him push it up. Gavin grabbed onto its wrist with one hand, the other fisting his hood as he tried to push it away. It then occurred to him that he could just duck out of his fucking jacket, because he was a moron and should've thought of that first. So he did the best thing he could think of, and that was to suddenly drop into a crouch to try and slip out of his jackets. It followed him down so that made that whole move moot.

It did, however, lift the hood up to allow Gavin to see again. It was staring at him with a slight cock to its head, LED yellow as it watched him. Gavin just glared back, brows furrowed intently. If they were going to have a battle of the wills via a staring contest then fucking fine. Gain was fucking game. They stayed like that for a while, till the point that Gavin's legs were starting to hurt him. He shifted slightly so that his knees were now touching the ground, RK900 still crouched before him. Damned androids. Their limbs didn't get tired and start cramping up after sitting in one position for too long.

It let go of Gavin's hood once his knees were settled on the ground. Gavin moved his hands to push his hood back down and adjust his jacket, not breaking eye contact before it stood to its feet. It kept staring down at him before suddenly speaking. "We should get back to work." It then simply turned on its heel and walked back into the building. Gavin cursed as he stood, his knee popping as he did so after being crouched for so long. He grumbled as he followed behind RK900.

* * *

 

It was about time for him to head out. Gavin was dead beat tired but he knew what would happen as soon as he got home. He'd eat, watch some TV, try to wind down for sleep only to find himself wide awake as soon as his head hit the pillow. And if by some miracle he did manage to fall asleep, it wouldn't be for long. He'd either wake up multiple times in a night or he'd have nightmares that made sure his sleep wasn't restful. Honestly Gavin just didn't feel like going back to his apartment. While he was alright staying to pull an all nighter, he really just didn't want to spend anymore time around RK900 than he had to.

"Detective Reed," He heard his name right as he grabbed at his keys to head out. He could've sworn that was Mrs. Rosenberg's voice.

"Huh?" He turned around to face where he heard his name come from only to have something slam right into his body. "Oof," he coughed as he looked down to see Amelia smiling brightly at him with her arms wrapped around him tightly. "Hey sweet pea," Gavin smiled down at her, placing a hand on her back to return the hug casually. He had started calling Amelia 'sweet pea' at some point. He wasn't exactly sure when it happened. He looked up when he heard Mrs. Rosenberg walk over to him with her high heels clicking against the tile. "What brings you guys here?" He questioned, somewhat concerned that something might've come up. Usually Gavin visited Amelia during his shift. Since it was a case, it was allowed for him to spend time with her during working hours. Plus, that's when visiting hours seemed to be at the office. Which was dumb in his opinion but whatever. Not his problem.

"She's been very insistent on seeing you today after you left," Mrs. Rosenberg explained.

He cocked his head to the side. He looked down at Amelia, tapping her back with his hand to get her to let him go. He then kneeled in front of her. "You okay?" He asked her. She nodded her head. "Did something happen?" He brushed her brown hair behind her ear. She shook her head. He wasn't too sure about that but he'd have to take her at her word. He just hoped that she wasn't lying to him.

"Well I'm actually late for something so if you could just take her back to the office once you're ready to turn in for the night, I'd appreciate it." Gavin only needed to nod his head and the woman was already walking away from them, leaving them to their devices.

He watched her leave before turning back to Amelia. "So…," He said slowly, rubbing the back of his head as he got to his feet. "Want a tour?" She nodded excitedly and grabbed one of his hands with both of hers. "Well first off, this is my desk. My partner, the android that you see me with, sits there," he pointed to RK900's desk that was currently vacant. He had no idea where the fucker was. And he didn't care.

He started to walk her towards Fowler's office. He passed a leaving Connor and Hank, flashing Hank an apologetic look at the longing look he caught in the old man's eyes. Connor had to pat him on the shoulder and escort him out so they could get going, no doubt saying kind soft things to the old man as they went. They entered his office, the man looking up from the paperwork he was doing. He cocked an eyebrow when he saw that Gavin had company. "This is my boss, Captain Fowler. Boss, this is Amelia. She wanted to see where I worked." He briefly explained for the man.

He nodded his head. "Ah I see. Hello there Amelia, I hope Gavin has been treating you well?" She kind of shied away from the man, hiding slightly behind Gavin but nodded her head all the same. He gave her a soft smile with a kind look in his eyes. "Good, good. Well I guess I shouldn't keep you from your tour. Have a nice day."

Gavin nodded his head towards the man, silently thanking him. He walked out of the office with her still in tow. He proceeded to show her the break room, the holding cells - but he didn't take her down there, not with the perps they had; he just pointed them out to her – and then to the evidence room. Typically letting outsiders inside the room was a big no no, but Gavin was willing to take the write up for Amelia. He specifically keyed in his password but selected for no evidence to be shown. He didn't want her to see something that might disturb her. As they left, they ran into RK900.

"Visitors within the evidence room is prohibited," He stated calmly to Gavin.

Gavin brushed him off with a shrug. "Yeah yeah, I'll take the write up. Besides, we might have ourselves a future cop right here! She needs to know where everything is!" He looked down at Amelia. "You wanna be a cop?" She shook her head with a distasteful look on her face. Gavin laughed lightly at that, a genuine laugh. "I don't blame ya. Nah you should do something better with your life, like be a doctor or something," he said as he walked away with her, not even noticing RK900's LED turning yellow.

_Software Instability ^^^_

"You're a smart girl, maybe you'll be a scientist or something cool like that. How's that sound?" He looked down at her again. She was scrunching one side of her face up, showing her lack of interest in that. "No?" What else would a little girl want to be? "Do you wanna be like a teacher when you grow up? Oh wait, I know," He snapped his fingers once the idea popped into his head, pointing down to her. "Dentist, kids love dentists." She laughed at that. At least she was enjoying herself.

RK900 silently followed them, LED continuing to flash yellow.

Gavin showed her the interrogation rooms next. "This is where the real magic happens. We talk to the bad guys to get them to admit they did a bad thing so that they can't do it anymore to anyone else." First he took her into the viewing room to show her the inside. "This is a one way mirror, we can see into the room but they can't see us." Gavin jumped when he heard the door close behind them, RK900 standing there. Waiting. Watching. He had a good idea. "Hey, RK, why don't you go into the other room?"

It cocked its head to the side before shortly nodding. It exited the viewing rooms and entered the interrogation room. It stood in front of the mirror, staring at them, waiting.

Gavin then started to make funny faces at RK900. "See, make all the faces you want and it can't see us." Amelia seemed reluctant at first but she slowly joined in, mainly just sticking her tongue out at it while squishing her cheeks together. Gavin chuckled. "And this," he motioned to the mic system. "Let's the people inside the room to hear us. He pressed the button. "RK, raise your right hand." It did so. He let go of the mic. "Now put it down." RK didn't respond. He turned back to Amelia. "See? Cool huh?" She nodded her head. He pushed the button again. "You can leave now." It put its hand down and walked out of the room.

Next Gavin showed her the rest rooms, where beds and bunks were set up in case officers had to take a quick nap while working long hours on cases. Once that was done, he brought her back to his desk, letting her sit in the chair. He was crouched next to the chair, resting his arms on one of the armrests and resting his head on top of his arms. "That's pretty much it. You've now had an exclusive tour of the precinct." She smiled at him, kicking her feet off of the wheels of the chair. "We don't give it to just anyone. Hope you liked it," He winked at her with a soft smile. She nodded her head. Gavin then looked at the time. It was getting pretty late. He wasn't aware but that tour took roughly two hours.

He looked back to her. "It's getting late sweet pea. You ready to head back?" She gave him a worried look, shaking her head. "No? Aren't you tired of me already?" Her smile came back and she shook her head at him. "Well, you still need to get to sleep tonight. We should probably head back."

She gasped, grabbing his hand as he moved to stand up. He rose an eyebrow, suddenly very concerned. He crouched once again. "What is it sweet pea?" He held her hand tightly as she looked away from him. "Is something wrong? You know you can tell me right?" He asked as he tried to lean in so he was in her field of view. "You can trust me Amelia."

"Not safe," she whispered to him. He would've missed it if he hadn't been leaning in so close.

Gavin's mind was going into overdrive. What wasn't safe? Was she not safe? Was someone hurting her in the office? He took a deep breath to calm himself, not wanting to jump into conclusions. "Not safe? Like you're not safe there?" She shook her head. "You don't feel safe there?" He asked slowly, at which she nodded her head. Ah ok, false alarm. That was good. If he found out that someone at the social worker's office was hurting her, he would probably go to jail for murder. Gavin rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. He wasn't sure how to handle this kind of thing. This was new territory for him.

"Here," she said suddenly when he hadn't spoken in a while.

"Hmm?" He hummed.

"Stay. Here. Please?" She asked him finally, taking his one hand into both of hers.

He licked his lips with a big breath. He wasn't sure how Fowler would like that. The man was gone for the night now so he couldn't ask. The only people there were the night shift workers. The skeleton crew. Which meant like three officers. Then of course there was RK900 who still hadn't left. Like what the fuck was its deal? Didn't it have a place to stay? Androids could now rent apartments. Gavin knew it was getting paid too so it could afford it. No instead the thing was standing at one of the android docking stations that were on the far wall towards the front of the precinct.

He knew he wasn't going to sleep at his place. There were beds for them to sleep in so Gavin didn't really see any reason to not let her stay. If Mrs. Rosenberg or whoever had an issue with it, they could kiss his ass. So after some thought, he nodded his head finally. "Alright, we can stay here." She immediately looked relieved. Now how was he going to do this? First they needed dinner. "How's pizza sound?" She nodded her head excitedly. Gavin unlocked his computer and brought up the internet. Technically not something they should do but once again, they could kiss his ass. He brought up a pizza delivery place. "Get whatever you want, I'm not picky." Which was kind of sort of true. He didn't really like pineapple on pizza and olives but he quickly learned on the force that you'd eat pretty much anything if you were hungry enough. He then stood up to walk away from her. She let out a concerned whine. Gavin immediately turned back to her. "Hey, hey. I'm not going far. I just gotta talk to my partner about something okay? Here," He offered her his badge. "Hold onto that for me? Insurance so you know I'm not leaving." He winked at her. She took the badge into her hands, tracing it as she stared down at it. She then looked up to him, nodding her head. He smiled.

Gavin did as he said, he walked over to RK900 in it's station. It had its eyes closed, head slightly down like it was sleeping on its feet. Which was fucking creepy. "RK900," he tried to wake it up. It didn't respond at first. He crossed his arms over his chest. "RK," He drew out the sound of the letters. He then started to snap his fingers next to its ears, audio processors, whatever it had. "Nines!" Gavin was losing his patience.

It lifted its hand to grab his wrist, lowering his hand for him. "I heard you the first time Detective." It opened its eyes, immediately looking down at Gavin. He didn't like how it was taller than him.

"Then why didn't you – ya know what, nevermind." Gavin had started before stopping himself. He pulled his wrist free from its grip as he pulled out his wallet. He pulled out two fifty dollar bills and held them out to RK900. "I need you to do me a favor and run to a store really quick. Amelia needs some pajamas and maybe like a stuffed animal. I don't know. Maybe a throw blanket, just get something that'll help her be comfortable alright?" He placed the money into its hand before slapping its arm. "Thanks." He didn't even wait for it to respond, he just turned on his heel and walked back to Amelia. She was currently spinning in his chair.

"You get everything ordered?"

She looked worried for a second before nodding her head. "Dessert?" She asked timidly.

"Sweet pea, I said get whatever you wanted. I just hope you plan on sharing whatever dessert you got." She laughed and he smiled.

RK900 actually did what Gavin had asked it. It came back while they were busy eating pizza to drop off the items it picked up. It had gotten Amelia simple blue pajamas, button down stop with pants. She had smiled at it and even thanked it. When a stuffed shark was shown to her, she laughed and hugged it in thanks as well. RK900 looked very concerned, LED flashing red for a second before going back to a calm blue. Gavin just kept eating his pizza. The last thing that was picked up was a fuzzy throw blanket for her to bundle up in, which she currently was doing with a content look on her face. The two stayed up pretty late watching videos online. It was about twelve thirty in the morning when Amelia could barely keep her eyes open. Gavin shut down his system and proceeded to lead her to the rest room. He was just going to put her on one of the single beds but she wanted to sleep in a bunk bed. Gavin helped her climb up the ladder. Once she had laid down, shark tucked in her arms and her tucked under the blankets, Gavin wished her good night. "I'll be in the bottom bunk if you need me okay?" She nodded with a big yawn before closing her eyes.

Gavin left her alone for a few moments to clean up the mess they made at the desk, yawning on and off again as he did so. Once the majority of it was cleaned, he decided it was his turn to hit the hay. He walked back into the rest room, kicking his shoes off to stay under the bed before he flopped down onto it. It creaked under his weight. He stared up at the bars of the top bunk for a while, hand over his stomach with another behind his head. He was unsure as to how long he stared up at the bars in the dark but eventually he managed to fall asleep.

"Gavin," he heard someone whisper his name. The detective jumped, eyes immediately snapping open as he looked around. He saw Amelia standing over him with her blanket around her shoulders, stuffed shark in hand.

"What is it sweet pea?" He asked, voice gravely and deep with sleep. She looked sheepish.

"Bad dream," she whispered simply.

"Oh honey," Gavin cooed. He turned onto his side, patting the bed next to him. "Here, you can sleep here." She crawled into the bed with him, tucking herself under the throw blanket. Gavin made sure to leave her enough room, even if that meant that if he rolled onto his back he would definitely be falling out of the bed. She was just about settled but then he felt her grab his hand and pull towards her chest, so that his arm was resting around her. She then snuggled against his chest. "Good night sweet pea." He mumbled to her before closing his eyes. He wasn't sure but he could've sworn that he saw a faint blue light across the room. Must've been his imagination.

_Software Instability ^^^_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter five of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I've gotten some really good news today so I figured to celebrate I'd post another chapter for you guys today! I hope you enjoy. I still plan on posting the next chapter tomorrow as well so posting this won't set me back. Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and lets me know that you guys like what I'm doing.
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	6. Empty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, you might cry during this one. Please don't hate me.

"Detective Reed." Gavin opened his eyes to see RK900 leaning over him. He jumped, nearly falling out of the bed had RK not grabbed onto his arm to keep him from doing so. Instead, Gavin sat up in the bed, mindful not to wake Amelia. And mindful of his head so he wouldn't slam it against the bars above him. "Mrs. Rosenberg is not pleased that Amelia spent the night. She is currently speaking with the captain."

Gavin let out a deep breath, nodding his head to let RK know that he understood. "Thanks for the warning," he said, genuinely feel grateful that RK had done so. It nodded its head at him before standing straight and leaving the room. Gavin got up, stretching his arms over his head. His shoulder popped like it usually did. He had to roll it to get the stiffness to go away. He then realized he felt stuffy and uncomfortable. Sleeping in his leather jacket probably wasn't the smartest idea. He shucked it off of him as he got to his feet. He found his shoes sitting there waiting for him. He didn't remember leaving them there. Did RK – No it wouldn't do that. Why would it? He probably just wasn't remembering correctly. He slipped them on and walked around the bed to have a better angle for getting Amelia.

"Hey, sweet pea," He cooed softly, trying to wake her up gently. "Time to get up." She groaned a little bit, starting to rub her eye as she woke up. "Good morning," he greeted just as gently. "Come on, I got you." He helped her sit up. Instead of getting up, she just wrapped her arms around Gavin's neck, burying her face into his chest. He let out a deep breath before wrapping his arms around her. He then just picked her up, letting her sit on one of his arms. He moved carefully to drape the throw over her shoulders. She already had the stuffed shark, he could no feel it bouncing against his back as he walked into the bullpen.

"It is just utterly unacceptable!" He suddenly heard Mrs. Rosenberg yell. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as he tried to straighten his hair with his free hand. Amelia was just comfortable sitting on his arm, head still buried against him.

"Calm down woman," Gavin said from across the room. She immediately rounded off to glare at him. "It's too early for a heart attack."

"You!" She yelled, meeting him half way as he walked over to her and the captain.

"Me," he responded easily. It only added to Mrs. Rosenberg's irritation apparently.

"I told you to take her back last night! What were you thinking!?"

"She didn't want to leave. I figured staying here was better than taking her to my place. You left her here after all," Gavin threw back at her.

She looked like her head was about to explode. "Well no matter, I'll be taking her back now."

Amelia shifted on his arm, picking up her head to stare at Mrs. Rosenberg. Gavin set her down on the ground, making sure the throw stayed on her shoulders. RK came over suddenly, handing Mrs. Rosenberg the plastic bag from the store last night. It had Amelia's clothes that she came over in with. He also had her shoes but set them in front of Amelia. "Thank you," she said softly as she slipped her shoes on. Mrs. Rosenberg took the back, grabbed Amelia's hand forcefully and started marching out of the station with her. Amelia looked back at them, waving goodbye with the stuffed shark in her hand. "Bye."

Gavin waved goodbye to her, turning to get to work at his desk when he saw the look on Fowler's face. He held up his hands defensively. "Now hold on Cap – " He didn't get the finish.

"What the hell were you thinking Reed?"

"She didn't want to leave! She told me she didn't feel safe there! What was I to do!?" He bit back, hackles already raised to defend himself.

"You should've taken her back Reed. This doesn't look good for you now."

"Sorry Cap but fuck you! If someone tells me they don't feel safe then you can bet your ass I'm gonna make sure that they do! Write me up, I don't care! Suspend me! Whatever! I stand by my decision!" God he really needed a smoke. It was too damned early for this. The few cops that had been shuffling in had all stopped to watch the scene unfold. Fowler glared at Gavin and he glared right back.

"Get your ass to work." Fowler turned to go back to his office. Gavin gave him a mock salute followed by the middle finger before he moved to sit down at his desk.

Later that day, the detective went over for his daily visit to Amelia. He was sure that Mrs. Rosenberg wouldn't be too pleased to see him but luckily for him, this was about Amelia and not that woman. He walked right up to the receptionist, RK in tow. Seriously, this thing followed him everywhere he went. Gavin was surprised it didn't follow him when he took a piss.

"Ah, Detective Reed, feel free to head back," the android receptionist smiled at him. He curtly nodded at it.

The detective made his way back to the usual meeting room that the two spent their time in, only to see Mrs. Rosenberg there to intercept him. "Detective," She greeted shortly, arms crossed over her chest as she stood in front of the door to prevent Gavin from entering the room. Inside he could see Amelia sitting with her back to the glass, apparently breathing heavily. Was she crying?

He was immediately concerned. "What's wrong? What happened?" He demanded.

She just rose her eyebrow at him. "I'm afraid that you won't be seeing Amelia today or in the future. Her case has been closed."

Gavin stood there gawking for a moment as his brain tried to process what this woman just said to her. Once his brain caught up, he immediately clenched his hands into fists to resist the urge to just sucker punch her. "You can't send her back!"

"That's not for you to decide."

"She was just starting to open up!" He protested.

"While she may have been talking to you, Detective, she has not been talking to me. I'm afraid I can't help her." He swore to god and all the powers of the universe that if this was because of something as petty as Mrs. Rosenberg not liking that Amelia had decided to open up to him and not her, he was going to kill this woman. He couldn't decided between just shooting her or strangling her.

"Then get her to someone who can," he snarled at her.

"I don't much like your tone, Detective," she said nonchalantly, head cocked to the side slightly. Oh yeah, he was definitely going to strangle her. "It has been done. There's nothing I can do." Gavin had just about had enough of her. So he stepped forward, effectively shoving her away from the door with his body and walked inside. She tried to grab onto his arm. "Detective – " She tried to call to him only to have him pull his arm away.

Amelia looked up and over her shoulder at the commotion. Once she saw Gavin, she immediately got up and rushed over to him. He met her half way in the room, sinking to his knees as they hugged each other tightly. Amelia started sobbing. "I know sweet pea, I know." He cooed softly, trying to get her to calm down. He could hear talking behind him but he didn't pay attention to it. He pushed Amelia away from him, putting his hands on her shoulders as he looked into her red, teary eyes. "If anything happens, anything at all, I want you to call me okay?" He removed his hands from her shoulders to pull out a card with his contact information on it and handed it to her. "I don't care what time of day it is, I don't care if it's because you're simply scared because a shadow spooked you. Call me. I will come get you and keep you safe okay?" She kept nodding her head, over and over again as she clutched his card to her chest like a lifeline. He pulled her in for another tight hug.

"If he doesn't leave now then I will have him forcefully removed!" He heard Mrs. Rosenberg nearly shriek behind him.

Not long after that did something touch his back. "Detective Reed, we must be going," It's calm voice suggested. For once, Gavin actually appreciated it's calm tone and level head. It kept Gavin from metaphorically flipping the table and literally start throwing punches. He tried to stand up but Amelia refused to let him go, clinging to him desperately. It hurt Gavin, pierced him through the heart and rocked his very core when he had to peel her away from him. When at first he didn't move to leave, RK900 grabbed onto the back of his arm, right above the elbow to softly guide him out of the room. Gavin kept his gaze on the floor as they passed Mrs. Rosenberg. He wasn't sure he'd be able to contain himself if he looked at the woman right now.

It removed it's hand from his elbow and instead, placed it at the small of his back. That pressure being the only thing keeping him from turning around to bring Amelia back into his arms to keep her safe. He couldn't help but look over his shoulder, heart sinking even lower than it had before when he saw her watching him through the window, silently shaking with sobs. RK's hand stayed where it was as they walked through the building. Oddly enough, it was keeping him grounded. But once they were at his car, Gavin sunk into the driver's seat only to put his arms across the stirring wheel and rest his forehead against his arms.

The sad thing was: Gavin didn't even feel like crying. No, it was beyond that. He felt so sad, so hopeless that he didn't even have the energy to cry. His chest just ached, throbbing with each beat of his heart. He wished it would stop beating just so he didn't have to feel that pain. He stayed like that for a while, he wasn't sure for how long until he felt something brush his shoulder.

"Detective," RK reminded. That was enough to partially snap Gavin out of his head space to lean back, turn on the car, and drive back to work. Once they were back at work though, Gavin wasn't very productive. He was slow in filing out his reports. Whenever he took a moment to pause, he was reminded of that pain in his chest. It was starting to hurt to breathe. He kept absently rubbing his chest whenever his hands went idle, just something to try to help soothe that ache that wouldn't go away. RK didn't bother him like he thought it would. It just let him silently do his thing. Which was probably for the better. Gavin could be rather unpredictable on a good day. On a bad one, there was no telling what would set him off. The rest of the officers seemed to be able to sense the gloom that Gavin was emitting because they made sure to steer clear of him. Even more so than usual. He appreciated it. He didn't know if he had the energy or will to even converse with anybody.

It was time to leave. He had somehow lost track of time and the next thing he knew, it was already five in the afternoon. He locked down his computer, slowly got up as he picked up his keys and wallet before making his way to the parking garage. He didn't even realize that RK was following him until Gavin had tried to get into the car and saw it trying to do the same thing.

"The fuck you doing?" He asked, it had none of the bite that it normally would. Instead, his voice sounded flat. Empty. Much like how he felt right now.

"The captain suggested that I accompany you home for the night," it responded.

Gavin felt an echo of anger flash through him but it didn't stay long. It was like he was a broken glass trying to hold liquid. Any semblance of emotion he felt just passed through him, leaving that empty feeling. "I don't need a fucking babysitter." He stated dully as he opened the driver's side door but not the passenger. He didn't even look up when he put the car into gear and drove off without RK.

He was lucky that he had some booze at his place. Otherwise Gavin didn't know what he would do. He definitely didn't feel up to going to a bar to drown his sorrows into the bottom of a glass. And he didn't exactly want to run to the store either. So after a very quick shower, a change of clothes into just sweat pants and a DPD hoodie, Gavin started drinking whatever the strongest alcohol he could find. Which was a bottle of just plain vodka. Typically he would mix it with something to keep the bite from being so harsh and to add a bit of flavor but right now, the detective didn't give two shits. He popped off the lid and took a big swig of it. It burned his throat immediately, continuing to burn as he swallowed but he was relieved by that. At least he was feeling something. Even if it was a little bit of pain. Gavin then moved into his living room, sinking into his couch and turned on the TV. He turned the volume down really low though so it was just background noise as he continued to drink.

There was a knock at his door once he was sure he was a little passed tipsy. Since he hadn't eaten dinner yet, he wasn't sure how much time had passed. He was just going to drink until either he ran out of vodka or he passed out on the couch. Whichever happened first. He found himself staring at the door from where his head rested against the back of the couch. Why was he staring at it?

Another knock. Oh right. Had he ordered food? He couldn't remember but it did sound like something he would do. So Gavin got to his feet, albeit a little dizzy and wobbly before moving over to the door. After setting the bottle down on the coffee table though. He wanted his hands free in case he had a sign something. He opened the door, staring blankly at the figure that stood there.

RK stood in the hallway, hands behind its back. Its eyes moved up and down Gavin's figure once, probably scanning him for his vitals. It made Gavin shift on his feet. "Detective Reed," it greeted with a slight nod of its head.

"What do you want?" Gavin mumbled, leaning against the door frame with his shoulder, mainly for support so he wouldn't fall flat on his ass. Not that he was going to. He didn't think he was anyway but he didn't want to take any chances.

It took a moment to formulate a response, LED flashing yellow, before turning back to blue. "I thought that you could use some company." It actually wasn't a bad response. Sounded like it cared.

But Gavin knew better. It was a machine. It didn't feel. He squinted at it. "I have company," he said bluntly. RK looked somewhat surprised before Gavin looked around for who he was talking about. "Ah!" He said as he leaned into the opened closet behind the door to pick up a bundle of fur that was sleeping in a shoe box. It mewled angrily at him as he held it in his arms, showing RK. "See? Company." The cat meowed angrily before starting to wiggle out of his hold. Gavin just dropped him, cat landing on its feet and stalking off without a care in the world. "Ass hole," he said after it, listening more than watching as it stalked off. Probably into his bedroom to sleep on his pillow. If the jingling of its collar was any indication. Gavin then turned his tired eyes back to RK. It hadn't moved, just quietly watching him.

They stared at each other for a few moments. Or for however long. Gavin had no clue. "Fowler put you up to this?" He asked suddenly, it clicking that RK didn't leave the precinct unless it had to.

"He said that it would be better for you to not be alone tonight." Well that answered that.

"Lemme guess, you're not gonna leave until you spend some time here." He could hear the bottle calling him.

It nodded. "My objective is very clear in having to spend some time with you tonight."

Gavin groaned loudly before stepping away from the door. He left it open as he turned back to go towards the couch. "Fine. Come in then." He sunk into the couch again as he heard the door being closed. Gavin took the bottle back into his grasp, taking a big gulp and hissing as it burned more than he was expecting. When he didn't see RK, his eyes danced back over to the door, seeing it standing there somewhat awkwardly. It was looking around, looking like it was at a loss as to what to do now. It was probably taking the state of his apartment into consideration for its analysis of him or something.

It was a fairly decent apartment. The front door opened right into this big open room that Gavin set up as the living room/entertainment area. The couch was directly in view of the door so it was just a short walk. The TV sat against the wall with a glass entertainment center underneath it. It was full of movies on one side, and music discs on the other. While discs were no obsolete, he still liked to have them around. A wireless stereo system sat in the entertainment center's central compartment, blocked off from use by glass. To the left of the entertainment center was a door that was slightly cracked that lead to Gavin's bedroom, obscured from view.

Behind the couch was a second of half wall that came out to separate the kitchen and dining area from the living space. It acted like a serving counter in case he was hosting a party or something. Not that Gavin actually used it for that. Mainly it just held boxes upon boxes of take out until it was so full he just wiped it clean for the cycle to repeat. The kitchen was about as open as the living room if not a little smaller. With the fridge, stove, and counter tops making an 'L' shape that sat opposite to the serving counter. By the window in the kitchen was a two person table shoved against the wall. All of this could be seen from where RK was standing currently.

"Ya just gonna stand there awkwardly or are ya gonna come in? Maybe remove that stick up your ass?" Gavin huffed, putting his elbow on the arm rest of the couch before setting his cheek against his fist. He absently watched the TV, not really paying attention to what was happening as RK walked in front of him and sat on the couch. It was a three cushion couch so they sat with a cushion separating them. RK sat straight, hands in its lap as it stared at Gavin who was slouched against the cushions. They sat in relative silence, the detective sporadically taking drinks from his bottle.

"Detective," it said suddenly, causing Gavin to jump. He was starting to forget that it was there next to him. "May I ask you a personal question?"

Now usually, Gavin's first immediate response would've been 'hell no.' But he was a little drunk by now so he couldn't give two shits. "Go ahead," he gave permission.

"Why are you so distraught over Amelia being returned to her family? The case indicates that there was no evidence of abuse."

Gavin sat there for a few moments, doing his best to get his thoughts in order to be able to answer. "Just 'cause we found no evidence doesn't mean it's not happening. Just means they're very sneaky 'bout it."

It was silent for a moment, probably processing his answer. "How are you so sure that she was in fact abused?"

The detective let out a big sigh. "I just know okay? I just have this feeling in…in my gut." He hoped that answer would satisfy it.

"May I ask you another personal question?"

Gavin looked over to it with his face scrunched up. "What is this, a game of twenty questions?"

It's LED flashed yellow for a flash before going back to blue. "The questions I intend to ask could be answered with a simple yes or no. If it would make you more comfortable Detective, you could exchange each one of my questions for one of your own so that you aren't solely the answerer if that's how you wish to proceed."

That was a very long, round about way of saying 'yes, this was twenty questions. Gavin groaned, throwing his head back into the back of the couch with a hand placed over his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled. Might as well, it would be better just sitting in awkward silence. It made Gavin itch.

"Were you abused as a child?" It asked bluntly. Gavin froze. Literally. He stopped thinking, he stopped breathing. Hell he was even sure his heart stopped beating. He stayed still until his lungs screamed at him for air, but even then, he was tempted to just wait it out. Maybe if he stayed still, remained frozen, he didn't have to answer. But instead, he was forced to take a breath involuntarily. He move his hand, throwing his arms over his eyes and most of his face. He felt that pit in his gut fill with poprocks. Butterflies. Whatever you wanted to call it.

And it just waited patiently for his answer. "Why – I…" He took another deep breath. He tried to make sure that others didn't know about his home life growing up. Nobody really knew that what situation he came from. He was sure that Fowler and maybe Hank suspected but he never actually admitted it to anybody. Did he really want the first person to know to an android? Well wait, it wasn't a person. It was just a thing. That thought immediately made him feel better. "Yes." He admitted finally. He removed his arm from his face to bring the bottle to his lips. He glanced over to RK900, half expecting it to have the face of pity on it's face. But it didn't. It remained as expressionless as ever, simply staring and waiting. "What?"

"I am simply waiting for your question."

Right they were playing twenty questions. Gavin thought for a moment, taking another drink. He couldn't think of any. So he waved his hand in the air. "Just keep asking yours. I'll let you know if I come up with one."

It nodded it's head. Gavin took another drink. "Who was it that abused you?" Gavin nearly spit out the drink in his mouth, some dribbling out of his mouth as he tried to catch it. He pressed a hand to his mouth to keep from making a mess as his breath kind of hitched as he tried to swallow which caused him to be reduced to coughing. He patted his own chest with his fist to sort of dislodge that ticking sensation he felt whenever he breathed in. Once he was calmed down enough, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Warn a guy next time," Gavin said weakly, voice strained from needing to cough again.

"I apologize Detective."

Gavin rolled his eyes. "We're not in the station. You can use my name," he allowed without really thinking about it. He just didn't like being called by his rank all the time. Especially at home. Typically he tried to make a point of having people just call him 'Reed.'

"I apologize then, Gavin." He wasn't sure why but hearing his name coming from RK's lips just felt…weird.

He shook his head to rid himself of that thought. He licked his lips, putting the bottle down on the table as he brought his left foot to rest on the couch. He loosely wrapped his arms around his leg, effectively placing a barrier between him and RK900. It made him feel more comfortable, even if it was just his leg. Added to the distance between the two. "My…dad…" He mumbled, lowering his head slightly as he tried not to think about it. Memories tried to flood his mind, trying to take advantage of his inebriated state to make him relive through them.

"What was the extent of the abuse?" Why the fuck was this thing so interested in his fucking past!

"Why do you want to know?" Gavin demanded suddenly, getting defensive. He was starting to feel like he was being personally attacked somehow. It made him feel vulnerable, guilty. He didn't want to think about his past. Let alone acknowledge it.

"I am simply trying to gather as much information about you as possible so that I may better understand you," it said. Gavin peeked at out of the corner of his eye. It kept that same expression on its face. Just staring at him.

"You won't tell anyone else?" He found himself asking suddenly. He was surprised by his own question but after asking, he realized that he needed to know. The anxiety in his gut escalated as he waiting for an answer. He had to know. He had to know that his secret was safe.

It cocked its head at him slightly before nodding. "If you wish this information to be purely confidential then, yes."

"Yes I want it confidential! Under lock and key, you don't tell anyone even if you're dying or I'm dying or the world is ending! Nobody! It's…" He took a deep breath, realizing that he was letting his anxiety grip him. He cleared his throat, closing his eyes. "It's just between you and me. Our secret," he finished as a whisper.

"Then yes Gavin, it shall be our secret," it said, using not only his name but also his own words on him to reassure him. It helped Gavin relax. He opened his eyes and tilted his head back to rest against the couch. He didn't lower his leg though. He still wanted that barrier.

He let out a deep breath, licking his lips as he stared at the ceiling while he answered. "He just beat me, roughed me up a bit. Told me I was trash and treated me like it." He wasn't sexually abused. At least his dad had enough decency for that.

It seemed to hesitate for a moment. Or maybe it was just processing the information. Gavin didn't have the energy to look over to see if its LED was flashing or not. "When did it start?"

Gavin closed his eyes. He hated thinking about this part. "When…after my mom died. I was…like seven or eight at the time."

"Records indicate that you were six when your mother passed away." Gavin's brow furrowed as he reflected on that new bit of information. He was a lot younger when it happened than he thought. That was disturbing. "Is it safe to assume that all of the disciplinary incidents within the following years are a result of that?" Gavin simply nodded his head.

He couldn't help but turn his head to look at RK900. He wasn't sure what look he gave it but it's LED started to flash yellow almost instantly. "Can we talk about something else for a bit?" It's LED flashed red, yellow, red before turning back to blue suddenly. It nodded its head. He let out a sigh of relief, looking away from it to stare at the ceiling again. "Thanks."

"What's your cat's name?" It asked slowly, probably having to think very hard to come up with a lighter question.

Gavin smiled at the ceiling. "Mister Ass." He chuckled a bit at himself. "He was just a cat that hang around outside the building a lot. He had this habit of jumping out from behind or under whatever he was hiding in to attack your feet and ankles to trip you up. Then he'd dart away to hide again. He's an asshole." As if speaking his name had summoned him from Gavin's room, Gavin heard the cat's tags clink together to indicate that it was in the room. The detective lifting his head from the couch to look for the orange ball of fuzz. It was currently sitting in front of the bedroom door, licking its back. "It happened so many times that a enough people had called to complain. When I heard that he was gonna be picked up by animal control, I snagged him up as soon as I could." Mister Ass walked over to them on the couch. He pressed his body against RK900's legs for a moment before jumping onto the couch. He walked over to Gavin, the detective putting his foot down so the cat could climb into his lap. Gavin's hand stroked its back as it started to walk in circles on his legs. Mister Ass started purring instantly before settling down in his lap, content in letting Gavin continue to pet him. "I wasn't a big fan of cats before hand but he's kinda won my heart over. He…makes coming home a little more bearable." Gavin glanced over to RK900 who was staring curiously at Mister Ass. "You like cats or something? I've heard Connor say he likes dogs but…I think that was just to get on Hank's good side."

RK900 glanced up at him for a moment before turning his gaze back to the cat that Gavin was absently stroking. "I'm…not sure. I haven't had a lot of experience with animals." It admitted which surprised Gavin honestly.

Gavin looked between the cat and the android before picking up the orange fuzzball. He cradled him against his chest, Mister Ass murring at him in annoyance as Gavin slid over to the middle couch cushion to be closer to RK900. He then held the cat out for it to take. He saw its eyes widen slightly, clearly unsure of what to do and how to handle the animal. "Here, just take him. He won't bite." It slowly took Mister Ass from Gavin's hands, trying to mimic how Gavin was holding him as much as possible. Their hands brushed and Gavin was surprised to feel that it's hands were relatively warm. Warmer than what he had thought they should be. They almost felt…alive.

"Like this?" RK900 questioned, sounding very unsure of itself at this moment.

Gavin couldn't help but smirk softly at that. "Yeah. Just let him kinda get comfortable against ya. He doesn't like being forced to do anything."

"So, like you," it responded easily, loosening its grip on the cat to just let Mister Ass rest where he lay.

Gavin gave him a deadpanned look. "Smart ass." Mister ass pressed himself against RK900's chest, purring like a motor as he laid in its arms. Gavin clicked his tongue. "He's normally not this cuddly."

RK900 looked down at the cat in his arms in what he could only assume is awe. "I believe that…my biocomponents emit a hum that might be similar to his purring."

Gavin snorted at that. "So you're basically a big cat. Got it." He honestly had no idea that android biocomponents hummed. He had never heard it before. To be fair, he hadn't ever been close to one to really check. But he guessed it made sense. People had hearts to pump blood through their systems. That made noise. Perhaps androids had the same thing. Without really thinking, Gavin leaned forward and pressed his ear against RK900's chest above where it was holding Mister Ass against its stomach. Or rather, where its stomach would be if it was human. He honestly couldn't really hear anything around the purring of the cat. He was about to shove Mister Ass away when he realized what he was doing. He felt his face flush with heat as he jerked away. "I – I'm sorry. I…I don't know what I was thinking." He didn't look at RK900, instead, finding his hoodie sleeve very interesting suddenly. He blamed the alcohol. He would not have done that if he was in his right state of mind.

"It's alright Gavin," it responded softly, suddenly sounding too close to Gavin. Like it was leaning towards him to say it. But that couldn't be right. It was just in Gavin's head. His imagination. His anxiety playing tricks on him to freak him out. Well it was working. His heart was hammering in his chest. He could feel it like a bird in a cage. He wanted to look to confirm that Gavin was just imagining things but he didn't have the courage to look. He didn't want to risk the chance of him being wrong and RK900 was leaning towards him.

Suddenly he became very aware that he had to take a piss so Gavin shot to his feet. "I'll be right back," He stated quickly before disappearing into his room. His bathroom was adjacent to his room so it helped to provide more space between him and it. He quickly disappearing into the bathroom to take care of his business.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter six of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. Sorry not sorry if this one was a tear jerker for you. I gave you really sweet fluff last chapter, I felt it only necessary to balance it out. Please don't hate me. I love you all. Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and lets me know that you guys like what I'm doing.
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	7. Warm

When Gavin had exited the bathroom, he felt a lot calmer and clearer in the head. But that also meant that that residual ache was starting to creep back into his chest. So when he walked back into the living room, the first thing he did was grab at the vodka bottle. It was nearly empty, about a quarter of the bottle was left. Was it only half full when he started? Three quarters full? He didn't know, couldn't remember. Didn't care. He took a big mouthful and swallowed, letting the burn chase away the feeling in his chest. When he sat down, he sat on the couch cushion against the armrest, effectively putting space between them once more. Gavin looked to see that Mister Ass had disappeared from RK900's hold while he was in the bathroom. They sat in awkward silence for a while. It took him a while but he finally came up with a question.

"So why don't you have a name? Connor has one." Well duh, why did he state the obvious? He took another big swig of drink. He like a fucking idiot.

"I was not designated one before I was activated for the first time. I'm sure that if Cyberlife activated me to complete a mission, they would've assigned me one."

Gavin rubbed at the back of his head. "Well you need a name. RK900 is just too much of a mouthful to say all the time."

"You do not use my designation when you refer to me," It stated bluntly. Gavin flinched at that. It was true, Gavin mainly insulted it with names. "However, you have called me 'Nines' twice now."

Gavin shook his head. "Yeah but that's more of a nickname. I'm talking about like a real name. Like Jeremy or Morgan or something." He then got to thinking. He snorted. "Connor 2.0." He glanced over to see RK900 giving him a deadpanned look.

"I would appreciate not being named after my predecessor." Oof that sounded like a rough topic. Gavin put a pin in that to ask later. He could only focus on one thing at a time.

"Okay…" He said slowly as he took another drink to buy him more time to think. "Calab?" He turned to face RK900 fully now to get his input. He didn't know why he was expecting it to show emotion to the name suggestion.

"Is that what you'd like me to be named?"

Gavin made a face at it. "It's not about what I want you to be named. It's about what you like."

It cocked its head to the side slightly, LED flashing yellow. "I don't have a preference."

Gavin let out a groan, taking another big drink before setting the bottle back down. "Okay, how about I start listing names and you shake your head yes or no?" It nodded it's head. He then pointed a finger at it, poking it in the chest with each word he spoke. "But only nod if you like the name. Got it?" It glanced down at the finger poking it before nodding. Gavin dropped his hand. "Cool. So Caleb?" It shook its head. "Conan." Shake. "Corey?"

"Does it have to start with a 'C?' I think…I would like to minimize the confusion between myself and Connor as much as possible." Now that was something he could work with!

Gavin nodded his head. "Alright. So how about James?" Shake. "David." Shake. "Sean." Shake. He thought for a moment before smirking. "Dick." It shook its head. Now there was an idea. "What about Richard? Dick is short for Richard." He for some reason felt the need to explain that. Maybe he was starting to get tipsy again.

It cocked is head to the side like it was considering it. "I'm content being called 'Richard' as long as you continue to use 'Nines' as a nickname instead of 'Dick.'"

Gavin groaned. Now that took all the fun out of it. But he nodded his head anyway. "Fine."

RK – no Richard nodded its head. "I am changing my designation in the database now. For the record, please speak my name."

Gavin made a face. Why did this have to be so fucking formal? He sighed. "Richard," he said as clear as he could.

"Logged." RK – Richard's LED blinked red once before turning blue again. Probably from the data transfer is Gavin was to guess. "My designation has been successfully updated to 'Richard.'" It informed him.

Gavin gave it a thumb's up. "Cool." He took another drink of vodka, finding that he was very close to the end of the bottle. "So I'm getting the sense that you don't like Connor. Why?" He asked finally.

Richard tilted its head to the side slightly. "I do not dislike my predecessor," it stated slowly. "However, he is just too…bouncy for me to handle for extended periods of time."

Gavin groaned. Exactly! Connor was just too warm, too nice for its own fucking good. He didn't know why Cyberlife thought it was a good idea to produce it. "I know right. I can't stand it."

"Upon making my model, Cyberlife felt it was unnecessary for me to focus on integrating into human society. Simply put, Connor looked too human despite being an android. It was meant to get people to trust him faster but upon analysis, it was found that it had the opposite effect in some cases…such as yours." Gavin flinched a bit at that added tid bit. Did that mean that Richard knew of how Connor kicked his ass? God that was embarrassing.

"I…see," Gavin said slowly, finishing off his drink. With the now empty bottle, he set it back down on the table. He wanted to get up to get more but he also didn't at the same time. Instead he looked over to Richard. "Is what that android said true? You aren't deviant?"

Richard gave him a steady stare before nodding its head. "It is correct that I did not choose to accept the deviancy virus upon activation."

"But like why?"

It sat there, LED blinking yellow for a few moments before it went back to blue. "I don't know. When it was offered to me, I found it easier to reject it instead of accepting."

"Do you regret your decision?"

"I do not regret anything Gavin. I don't feel, remember?" God that hit him like a ton of bricks for some reason. It was like a slap to the face. Of course Gavin knew that. Why the fuck did he even bother asking? It was definitely the alcohol. He tried to distract himself, trying to cling to any question that he could come up with to ask next just to move passed this awkward feeling.

"Do you have a dick?" He didn't know why he asked that. He felt his face heat up upon realizing he asked that question, covering his mouth with his hand. He then shook his head. "Nevermind! I don't want to know!"

"I am equipped with genitalia." It said it like it wasn't such a big deal! How could it be so nonchalant!? Wait…Android. They don't feel embarrassed. Well Gavin was feeling embarrassed enough for the both of them now.

He was so shocked by the answer he gawked for a moment. "Why!?" He didn't mean for it to come out as loud as it did.

Richard cocked its head to the side once again. "I am an advanced android fit for military as well as police investigations and missions. If at any point I were required to go under cover, having such features would prove invaluable." It paused for a moment. "I do have access to programming that allows me to utilize it if I wish, no different than a Traci – " It tried to continue explaining but Gavin quickly moved closer to cover it's mouth with his hand to silence it. He was sure that he was red from head to toe at this point. He didn't want to hear more about what Richard could or could not do with…things.

"I get the picture," Gavin grumbled.

Richard gripped Gavin's wrist and pulled the hand away from its mouth. "I did not mean to embarrass you Gavin." The hand around his wrist felt warm, once again surprising Gavin. It felt so real. Like it – he, Richard, was alive. It was unnerving. He pulled his wrist away, Richard letting it go as soon as Gavin pulled. They sat in silence for a few moments before continuing asking each other questions. They were mainly light hearted and Gavin wasn't awake long enough to continue their conversation for much longer. He fell asleep against the couch, head resting on the arm rest as he curled in on himself with his feet tucked up onto the couch.

* * *

 He awoke with a start the next morning. His eyes jumped around his living room before he realized where he was. The detective groaned, throwing a hand over his eyes as he tried to calm his over excited heart. He remembered having a dream, a nightmare actually, but he couldn't remember what it was about. There was no point in him trying to chase the fragments so he slowly got up from the couch. He really should've gone to bed last night, his neck felt stiff and his shoulder was bothering him now. He had to rotate his arm in big circles to get it to loosen up. He didn't know why but upon waking up, he was expecting to see RK900 there. He wasn't sure when the android had left. It must've been after he fell asleep. No matter, Gavin just went about his usual morning routine, even if it was a little slower than usual. He did have a slight headache from drinking last night on an empty stomach. Probably not the smartest thing for him to do but whatever. He made sure to throw away the vodka bottle, noting that he'd have to replace it at some point. Once he was ready, he set off to work.

His head was killing him. And he was out of pills. He should've made another appointment to get them replaced. Granted this wasn't a migraine but he found that over the counter medicine just didn't take the edge off the pain anymore. Currently he was standing in the break room, preparing probably his third cup of coffee for the morning. He had just poured a shit ton of sugar into it, not really caring how much he put in now that he was on cup three. He cradled the cup in his hands, taking a small sip to make sure he didn't have to start over. It was slightly sweet, a little too sweet for his liking but it would do. Maybe the sugar would help his jitters. He knew that was unlikely but he could hope. He turned to leave the break room and jumped, nearly dropping his coffee. "The fuck!?" He put the cup down on the counter so he could lean against it with his hand, other hand going to his chest to calm his beating heart. He was already on edge from his lack of sleep and all the caffeine, he didn't need more adding to it.

Connor had been standing right behind him, quietly waiting for him to finish making his cup of coffee. It was standing just a little too close for Gavin's liking. That and Connor could be sneaky if it wanted to be! He had no idea it was standing behind him. "I apologize Detective. I did not mean to startle you."

"You can be a sneaky son of a bitch that's for sure," he breathed as he worked to settle his heart. He then gave Connor a confused look. "Was there something you needed?" He asked slowly, unsure why the android was bothering him.

Connor smiled at him warmly, his brown eyes appearing as soft as ever. He hadn't realized how used to Richard's blue eyes he had gotten. Plus, after all that time he spent with the RK900 unit, he could pinpoint all the areas that they were different. Richard had a stronger jaw, obviously being taller than Connor and with blue eyes. Connor was a bit more emotive with its expressions than Richard by far. Plus, and he didn't realize this but Connor also appeared to be breathing, his chest expanding and contracting in time with a normal breathing pattern. Did Richard do the same thing? He hadn't noticed if he was to be completely honest.

It then occurred that Connor was speaking to him and Gavin had zoned out. He closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck stiffly. "Could…Can you start over? I wasn't…paying attention." He really wasn't feeling well. He tilted his head all the way to one side, hoping to ease some of the stiffness he felt.

When he opened his eyes and straightened his head, Connor had the look of concern on it's face. "Are you alright Detective?"

"Never better," he said automatically. He grabbed his cup of coffee taking a long sip. "You were saying?"

"It has come to my attention that you have assigned RK900 a designation. I just wanted to thank you for doing so." How did it know that Richard now had a name? Probably some android internet database thing. Whatever it was connected into all the time. Gavin hummed into his cup as he took another drink of his coffee. Connor then tilted its head at him, eying him up and down for a moment. "Are you sure you're alright Detective? You don't seem well."

Gavin waved him off. "I'm fine." He then started to walk away before something occurred to him. "Actually," he turned back to Connor. "Can I ask you something?" He didn't know why he was asking the android. Normally he'd just ask and it's 'feelings' be damned. He must really be out of it if he was developing manners towards the walking bucket of bolts.

Connor looked surprised but nodded it's head none the less. "Of course Detective."

"When RK – er – Richard first showed up, you looked very uncomfortable around it. Why?"

Connor's LED flashed yellow for a split second. "I feel as if it is similar to how you felt upon meeting me, Detective. Seeing something that could potentially replace you is…intimidating." That actually made sense. Perhaps there was something the two shared in common after all.

Nope! Stop that train of through right now! Gavin simply nodded his head as he took another sip of his still hot coffee, walking back to his desk. He didn't realize that Connor's eyes were following him on the way back. The detective sat down at his desk, staring blankly at the keyboard in front of him for a long while.

"Detective," He heard Richard say. Gavin turned a tired gaze up to him – it as he – it, damn it! stood next to his desk. "There's been some development within the case regarding the androids set on fire." Gavin cocked his head to the side at it (that was more like it). "More bodies have been found." Gavin let out a deep sigh before nodding his head slowly, he moved to grab his car keys but Richard already had them in his hand. "Given how much coffee you have had Detective, I think it is best if I drive." Gavin was just too tired to argue. He got up and gestured for Richard to lead the way, following as it walked out the building.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter seven of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I just wanted to let you guys know that I will be out camping this weekend so I won't be able to post chapters for those days. But don't worry, I will continue to work on the story in the vastness of nature so when I come back, I'll have plenty of content for you guys! You guys are awesome! Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and lets me know that you guys are enjoying what I'm doing.
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	8. Blood

As soon as Richard pulled out of the parking garage, Gavin was assaulted by the sunlight. It was an oddly sunny day today. Or maybe he was just being oversensitive to the light now. But whatever, it was still fucking bright and he wasn't about to look towards the sky to confirm that. So he dug through his glove box, putting on the sunglasses he found there with a relieved sigh. "Are you alright Detective?" Richard asked him as it drove.

Gavin planted his elbow against the door handle, putting his cheek against his fist as he closed his eyes. "Ya know, I already had this conversation with Connor so I'm just gonna say 'yes' and leave it at that." He didn't mean for it to come out as harsh as it did. But there was no changing it now. They drove the rest of the way in relative silence. The only noise was the radio that was set pretty low to provide background noise whenever Gavin drove. He didn't like sitting in silence too much. Left too much room for unpleasant thoughts to creep into his head. But with the throbbing he felt, especially behind his eyes, he simply leaned forward and muted the radio. He could use silence for once.

They arrived at the scene in record's time especially since it was located fairly far away from the precinct. He couldn't remember where exactly, he just didn't have the brain power to recall it right now, but still he was impressed. Not too much to allow Richard to drive unless absolutely necessary though. Gavin stepped out of the car once the car had stopped. He took a quick glance around, having to squint even with the sunglasses. It looked like they were at an abandoned building. The signs to label the building for what it was had long since disappeared, or were removed. All that was left were some signs marking it as condemned and to not enter. Well, that did a lot of good.

Gavin didn't even go through the usual pleasantries with the responding officers. Which honestly, they were probably grateful for. He just took out his notepad from his jacket and started marking things down. Only two bodies were found this time, lying in the middle of the building's main room. Which after looking around, it appeared to be an abandoned café. The building had been gutted for most of it's worth. Gavin could only tell it was a café from the way the floor was tiled, the far wall had a serving window, and the floor showed wear from where the booths had sat. Apparently smoke could be seen coming from inside the building. Local pedestrians had thought some teenagers or homeless people were vandalizing it.

The detective went through the motions of analyzing the evidence that was there. As Richard spoke to him, he wrote down whatever stuck out to him. The accelerant used this time was turpentine, not kerosene this time. There wasn't much in regards to evidence left behind. There was no spill this time. So either the guys learned from last time or it was someone completely different. Richard did most of the exploring of the scene, sharing his – its findings with Gavin in hushed tones. Which Gavin greatly appreciated, everything else was just so loud at least Richard wasn't adding to it. The detective was quiet, not going into any thoughts about the case even as they drove back to the precinct.

It wasn't until later when Gavin wasn't in pain anymore did he finally submerge himself into the case. Which, to be honest, probably wasn't the best way for him to cope with his pain but whatever, it made him one hell of a detective! For the next few days, Gavin had refused to go back to his apartment. When he wasn't focused on the androids set on fire, he tried to take care as many of his smaller cases as possible. But over all, he was rather run down. He would only take a break to take small cat naps that lasted no more than three to four hours at a time. The coffee maker was his friend, and slowly, all his coworkers were starting to worry about him. It had gotten so bad that even Hank had suggested that he go home. Gavin politely told him to fuck off before getting back to work. While his mood was as aggressive as ever, most of his energy was directed into his work so he wasn't snapping at people as much as he usually was.

Currently, Gavin and Richard were in pursuit of two suspects. They were to be taken in for harassing some androids, not linked to his main case but still something he had to take care of. As soon as they had seen Gavin was with Richard, they had taken off. The two cops quickly followed, having to split up once the two suspects tried to lose them by splitting up. Gavin darted across the street, having to dance around the autodriving cars to keep up. His legs were screaming at him as he pushed himself faster. He could barely breathe, his heartbeat the only thing keeping him in pace with his suspect.

The guy quickly darted down an alleyway between two buildings. Gavin nearly toppled over as he tried to make the turn to follow. He did slam his side into the building as his shoes kind of slid on the sidewalk from his momentum. He pushed off of the building to, hopefully, give him a bit of a boost to finally catch up to the guy. His shining moment was when the guy had to take a second to look between two paths to take. Gavin had caught up to him in that time and just threw his body against his. The two slammed into the dumpster that was sitting at the end of the alley, letting out a thunderous roar as it clattered against the wall and their bodies.

Gavin was panting harshly, limbs shaking and trembling. "Don't fucking move!" He panted as he threw the guy to the ground, shoving him harshly so that he was laying on his stomach. Gavin crouched over the guy, knee against his back to keep him still. The perp struggled as Gavin tried to grab onto his arms to cuff him behind his back. "Stop fucking moving! Jesus!" He leaned against the guy a little more in hopes that a little pain will make him stop.

"Detective," Richard spoke from behind Gavin. He looked over his shoulder to see his partner approaching him from the entrance of the alleyway. There Gavin was, panting and sweating, face flushed from exertion and Richard, fucking android!, wasn't even tussled after his chase.

"You get yours?" He paused in his movements in getting the perp to stop wiggling to just let him get it out of his system.

Richard nodded. "Yes Detective."

Gavin nodded his head. "Good, good." He kept nodding his head, leaning off of his knee against the guy's back for half a second. One second he was on top of the guy, the next he was on the ground with the guy trying to punch him. The detective immediately threw his arms over his face and neck to protect those spots. It didn't take long before the guy was removed from on top of him, thrown against the wall by Richard.

"Detective!" He sounded concerned, why was he concern? Gavin sat up, placing his hands on the ground to push him up to his feet when he felt something slide down his left arm. He looked, seeing his own blood starting to pool around his hand. He lifted his arm up inspect his arm, trying to find the spot it was coming from. It didn't take long before he was able to locate the long gash that cut into his forearm through his leather jacket. He hissed as the pain suddenly registered in his system. It hadn't even occurred to him that the perp could've been armed. Well shit, he kind of fucked that one up didn't he?

The detective clutched the wound with his hand to cover it as much as possible, holding that arm cradled to his body. Richard had knocked the guy out – Gavin did not envy him – before it directed its attention to him. The android briskly walked up to him, grabbing hold of Gavin's injured arm and pulling it away from the detective's body. It then shoved his sleeve up his arm to get a better look at it, all the while Gavin was trying to pull away from him. "Ow, fucking ow! That hurts dipshit!" He protested as Richard basically manhandled his arm in his inspection. The android's grip didn't relent, despite the blood that was making his arm slick and red.

Richard's eyes were intense in their examination of Gavin's injury. "It does not appear that you will need stitches, however, having it inspected by a professional is recommended."

"Great, just fucking let go already!" Gavin was starting to lose feeling to his hand with how tightly Richard was holding onto him. Except the android didn't let go. Instead, it brought its free hand up, gathering some of Gavin's blood onto its two fingers before moving to lick them, to analyze them. "The fuck Richard!" Gavin yelled as he tried to stop the android from licking its fingers with his free hand. He gripped the android's forearm and tried to wrench its hand away from its mouth. But it didn't work. Richard stared him directly in the eyes as his tongue flicked out to lick at the blood.

The detective felt himself swallow before he realized he was staring at Richard's mouth. His arm throbbed painfully but it wasn't enough to quell the shudder that ran up his spine. He wasn't sure if his face was flushed from the exercise, the pain, or Richard's action. And he didn't really want to know. He definitely did not. His eyes flicked back up to Richard's, ice cold eyes boring directly into his own. He didn't like that look. Richard looked – was pissed the right word? Frustrated? He wasn't too sure. It was hard to tell sometimes with the damned thing!

"Your blood sugar is dangerously low and your white blood count is starting to drop at an alarming rate as well," It – no he, no wait…said in a low tone of voice. "I noticed you have not been eating as you should be, however, it had not occurred to me that you were malnourished. Pursuing a suspect was not an intelligent thing to do with your body in its current state."

"I'm fine," Gavin immediately defended, starting with renewed vigor to get his arm away from Richard. The android's hand shifted to grip his arm better, as well as to cover as much of the wound as possible, even if it elicited a hiss from the detective. It hurt like a bitch!

Richard gave him a look that was basically the equivalent of 'are you fucking serious?' for his lack of emoting. "You are not fine, Detective. You are starving your body of the nutrients that it requires to function."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get a snack on the way back," He snapped before Richard started to pull him towards the exit of the alleyway. On the way out, Richard leaned down to grab onto the back of the perp's shirt. The guy was still out cold as the android started to drag him with them. Gavin really did not envy the guy. Or, maybe he did because at least the perp was out cold while being manhandled like a fucking doll. Gavin just couldn't fight back as Richard practically dragged him along. That didn't stop him from digging his heels into the ground to try and stop. Despite the pain that it caused his arm. "Let go!" He protested again.

"Once Officer Brown and Chen come to escort Mr. Lewis – " So that's what the guy's name was, " – back to the station, we are going to seek medical attention for your wound. Then we shall go and get something substantial for you to eat." Why did Gavin feel like he was being scolded for not taking better care of himself? It's not like Richard cared about him. Right?

"I don't need to go to the hospital," he hissed as the grip on his arm tightened slightly.

"It's not up for negotiation." The fuck it wasn't!

"I said no, Richard!"

The android rounded on him, icy blue eyes burning into him. They almost seemed to glow against the light, striking a bolt of fear in Gavin. "I don't think that you're in any position to be making sound judgements about what you deem is necessary and what isn't, Detective." If Gavin didn't know better, he'd say that venom was practically dripping from Richard's tone.

Gavin's lip pulled up in a snarl. "You can't make me go!"

Richard cocked his head to the side slightly, but it wasn't in the usual way when he – no, it! Richard wasn't a person, fucking get your shit together Gavin – was considering something or thinking. No, this almost looked predatory, like Richard was sizing him up somehow. Gavin had to suppress the whimper that wanted to escape his throat. He had seen that look too often to know it didn't mean well. "You are in no position to be resisting me. You could barely hold your own against Connor when you tried to attack him in the evidence room. What makes you think you fair any better against me? When I'm his superior in everyway: faster, stronger, more resilient. You can't fight me Gavin."

Well that didn't mean he wouldn't fucking try! Gavin stared up at Richard with slightly wide eyes, stomach turning uneasily. He had started to shake against Richard's hold. He chalked it up to the pain, and the not the fear that was making his chest tight. He didn't really think when he made his move. Had he taken two seconds to actually consider the consequences to his actions, Gavin probably wouldn't have reached for his gun to threaten Richard. His hand hadn't even brushed against the metal of his weapon before his back contacted the brick wall behind him. His head cracked against the stone, making his vision swim for a few moments as he tried to blink the world back into focus. The hand that had gone to reach for his gun was held in a vice grip above his head, wrist pressed painfully against the wall. Richard's hand had shifted to securely lock his other arm against the wall as well, steel hand still wrapped around his forearm but pressing the wound into the wall instead of keeping it covered. Richard's body was pressed flush against his, barely leaving enough room for Gavin to extend his chest to breathe as he towered over him.

"I thought we had moved passed you threatening me, Gavin," He said in a low tone of voice. Gavin couldn't think of a better word for it other than predatory. He was pinned. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, literally. And he had no one to blame but himself. Out of sheer desperation, Gavin tried to wiggle a bit which only caused the android to press its hips against his own to keep him still. Gavin bit his tongue to keep quiet but his breathing was becoming more ragged. "Why do you insist on fighting me when I have only your best interests at heart?" This came out quieter, but did nothing to soothe Gavin's rising anxiety.

The detective swallowed hard. "You don't have a heart," he croaked. He nearly slammed his head into the wall on his own for sounding so vulnerable. He didn't like it. He could feel himself trembling, his calm starting to slip away.

_Software Instability ^^^_

Richard was silent for a moment, just staring down at Gavin. Gavin hadn't looked away yet. He wasn't able to. He felt in his gut that trying to look away was a bad idea. He had learned to listen to that feeling at a very early age. Ignoring it lead to terrible consequences. So he held the android's gaze, as much as he trembled because of it. Surely Richard could tell how rattled Gavin was because of his actions! The fucking dick didn't even care! 'Best interests at heart' his ass! "Why must you be so difficult? Why don't you understand that I'm only trying to help you?"

" _I'm just trying to make you a better man Gavin! I'm only trying to help you!"_

The memory flooded his mind before he could stop it. He felt his chest tighten even tighter as he finally closed his eyes and turned his head slightly. He couldn't breathe, he felt his chest heaving but no air was entering his lungs. "Nines, please," he whimpered breathlessly. He was instantly released, Gavin falling to his hands and knees as he panting for breath. He clenched his hand at his chest, grabbing a fistful of his shirt as he struggled to normalize his breathing. He felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder but Gavin jerked away from it like it had burned him. "Don't fucking touch me!" He screamed, scrambling to his feet. He had to get away. He just had to put some distance between him and Richard. He ran as quickly as he could out of the alleyway, nearly ramming into Officer Brown as he rounded the corner to walk down the alleyway.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" He heard Brown ask around the pounding in his ears but he didn't stop running. He just had to get away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter eight of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I also wanted to thank you guys for being so patient with me this weekend since I went camping and all. Didn't turn out as good as I was expecting but eh, what can you do? Hopefully this makes up for the short hiatus. I didn't get as much writing as I wanted done but oh well. I'm still ahead of what I'm posting for you guys so I can't really complain.
> 
> But anyway! While I was camping, this lovely idea for an AU popped into my head. It would still be Gavin x RK900, but instead of androids, they're vampires. It's not a one shot, but definitely shorter than what I have planned for Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I figured I'd get your guys' opinion on it. I could just wait until I'm done with Blue Blood to start working on it, or I could alternate between the two stories so you get both but takes longer to finish one. Just let me know what you think.
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with updates and my progress, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	9. Hostility

By the time that Gavin had returned back to the precinct, the plastic prick was already there working away. It had probably gotten a ride from Brown and Chen. That or maybe it took a cab. It was too much to hope that it had to fucking walk back to the precinct. Gavin would've liked that. He walked up to his desk, pointedly ignoring looking anywhere in Richard's direction before digging through his desk. Once he found what he was looking for, he promptly slammed it shut with a satisfyingly loud  _clunk_  before turning on his heel to stalk to the restrooms. Once Gavin was alone in the restroom, he dropped the first aid kit onto one of the sinks and shucked off his jacket. He made sure to keep a stocked kit in his desk. When you got hurt as much as he did on the job, you just made sure to keep prepared. With his jacket off, Gavin leaned forward to run warm water over his cut and to just clean off all the excess blood. It was starting to itch against his skin from where it had dried. He also wanted to erase the evidence of the android grabbing onto his forearm. A perfect hand print was left, reddish brown against his skin to make exactly where it had grabbed onto him. Gavin may have scrubbed harder than was necessary.

Once his arm was sufficiently cleaned, Gavin got to work in disinfecting his wound. He spread antibacterial ointment around it as best as he could. It just fucking hurt too much in some places. He then slapped a large square of gauze against it, tapped it down, and then wrapped it up with even more gauze. Unfortunately, he was pretty decent at tending to his own wounds. Once the wrap was secured and Gavin was confident it wouldn't go anywhere anytime soon, he cleaned up his mess of wrappers from the counter spaces and walked back towards his desk. When he glanced up, Richard was gone. He was relieved. Gavin draped his jacket on the back of his chair before sinking into it heavily. He opened his drawer and dropped the kit back into it, closing it this time a little softer than before.

"The fuck happen to you?" He heard Anderson question as he passed his desk.

Gavin didn't look up at him as he ran his hand through his hair. "Perp with a knife," he explained simply, still not looking over to the old man. Instead, he unlocked his computer to start to get to work on his report.

He heard Anderson make a displeased noise. "That's rough. Sure you don't need stitches?" He knew that his coworker was just concerned for him but he didn't have the patience for it right now. He was still too raw, too rattled from before to try and be social.

"Don't you have work to do?" He grumbled.

"Alright fine, see if I try to be nice to you ever again." He listened as the lieutenant walked off back towards his desk. When Gavin had tried to file the report for this case, he found that it was already complete. In full. It was just awaiting his signature. He blinked at that, confused as to how that was possible before realizing that it was Richard's doing. Probably as a 'sorry I'm a dick.' While Gavin didn't plan on forgiving the plastic prick anytime soon, he definitely wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to not do paperwork. So he just added his signature and sent it off. One less headache to worry about. Now all he had to do was keep his biggest head ache, the walking and talking glorified toaster, off his case and he'd be set for the rest of the day.

* * *

 

Fowler wasn't too happy with him. Not because he wasn't getting anywhere with the case, no the Captain understood that, it was because he was refusing to go back to his apartment and being a little bit more hostile towards Richard than he was before. Some had actually begun to believe that the two were beginning to get along. Well, that didn't last long after Gavin directed all his hostility towards the android. Anytime it brought him a cup of coffee, Gavin would either throw it away immediately or let it sit there all day while he fetched himself a fresh cup. There had been an instance where Gavin just poured it onto Richard's head but the lashing he got from Fowler just made it not worth doing again. However, seeing the usually prime and proper android soaked with coffee in its hair and all down its white jacket was so satisfying. Any food that it brought over to him was thrown out as well. Sometimes he would give it to his coworkers if they asked for it. They had gotten used to Gavin just throwing out food without touching it so if they could get a free meal, they were all over that like flies on honey. Or shit. Whichever.

With Gavin being so hell-bent on rejecting Richard's help, it had only made his health decline even faster. He couldn't go most days without his hands shaking uncontrollably. Gavin did his best to hide it in the form of tapping his fingers on any and all surfaces but sometimes he just couldn't hide it. His hands were often stuffed into his jacket's pockets. Not his leather one, no he had to get that one replaced. Instead he was sporting a DPD pullover hoodie most days. While his new jacket was waiting for him back at his apartment, he still just hadn't left the station to go pick it up. He probably should've had it sent to the station but he wasn't really thinking when he just hit 'place order.'

He was pretty sure he looked run down and just dog tired. Fowler had given up trying to get him to just go back to his apartment so instead made a point to ordering him to take naps frequently. Gavin was sitting in front of his screen, typing away at a report while his legs bounced uncontrollably to help him contain his shakes to be able to type correctly when his system finally shut down. He blinked slowly at the blank screen, unsure as to what happened. "The fuck?" He questioned finally, trying to turn his system back on. It was unresponsive. The detective's eyes danced around the room to see if anyone else had been affected by this. Everyone else seemed fine. Why was his system the only one that was down? He glanced up, seeing that Richard was typing away at his own screen, oblivious to what Gavin was experiencing right now. Gavin looked around one more time before he tried to boot up his system once more. Still no response.

He scratched the back of his head. He wasn't exactly tech savvy so if turning it off and back on again didn't fix his issue, he was at a loss. The only person – thing that he could think of to ask for help was the android sitting across from him. But Gavin was still set on being petty so that was off the table. He then looked over to Connor's desk. It was empty. "Shit," he swore. Of course this would happen when the other android that he did feel like dealing with wasn't in the station.

"Something wrong, Detective?" Richard questioned.

Gavin looked up to see it with its fingers threaded together on top of its desk as it waited expectantly for an answer. He huffed. "Nope," he answered stubbornly.

It cocked its head to the side. "Are you sure?"

The detective glared at it suspiciously. "Yup."

"Because to me it would appear that your system has shut down." Why the fuck did it sound so smug? When Gavin didn't respond, just glared, Richard straightened its head. "Would you like some assistance, Detective?"

"Nope," he answered quickly, pointedly looking away from the android to once again, try to power up his system.

"Perhaps it would be best to take a quick break while you wait for it to power back on. It might be down for maintenance for quite a while." It sounded like it knew exactly how long his computer would be down.

Gavin shot up from his chair, hands slamming onto his desk as he leaned forward to snarl at Richard. "You shut me down!"

Richard looked nonchalant as ever. "I've no idea what you mean Detective."

Gavin wasn't sure if he was trembling from anger or not. But he was trembling and there was no hiding it. "Fix it," he hissed.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Detective." Gavin glared at Richard for a long moment before sitting back down into his chair, arms crossed over his chest with his feet kicked up on the desk. If his computer wouldn't work then he' just wait it out. Richard's eyebrow rose. "I'm not sure how long it'll take for your system to come back online. Perhaps you should – "

"Take a nap, yeah. I fucking heard you the first time you suggested it," he bit out. But he didn't move. He just stubbornly sat there as he waited. There was a reason he tried to keep busy though. Now that he was sitting still with nothing to do, it finally hit him just how tired he was. His eye lids started to droop against his will, head nodding forward like he was struggling to keep it upright.

Suddenly he was falling. His eyes snapped open. Gavin threw his arms out to balance himself, catch himself on something as he fell. His hands found the desk which he gripped onto the dear life as he tried to right himself. His feet slammed onto the tiles of the floor as he hastily looked around. It would appear he was still at his desk. Why the fuck had he fallen then? He realized he was still sitting in his chair. He hadn't moved except for the dramatic flailing he had done just seconds ago.

"Your chair leaned back," he heard Richard say. Gavin turned his gaze to it, confused. "You adjusted your position in your sleep to lean back in your chair." Oh well that made sense. He probably leaned back to quickly and it startled him. "You really should consider going to lay down." That sounded like a wonderful idea. He wasn't aware of just how fucking tired he was until right at that second. His brain felt like mush, limbs heavy. Gavin simply nodded his head as he pulled himself to his feet, wobbling a bit as he did so. Richard was at his side immediately, hand on the small of his back to keep him steady. Gavin didn't push him away. He was worried he wouldn't even make it to the rest room without falling over. So he let Richard guide him into the room. Once he was seated on a cot, he groaned heavily, burying his face into his hands. It took more effort than he'd like to admit to get his shoes off of his feet but once that was done, he collapsed back against the bed. His eyes didn't stay open for long once he was finally horizontal.

But once again, as soon as he laid down, his brain decided to kick into overdrive. Mainly with idle thoughts but it still wouldn't just shut up for him to actually rest. His mind lazily thought of Amelia. She had yet to call him. Hopefully that meant that she was alright. Maybe having the police investigate the home made her parents start treating her right? That was a novel thought. If only it were true. Gavin knew that's not how these situations worked. The parents would do just enough to keep people from being suspicious before going back to their ways. It was predictable. Sadly so.

He still didn't understand why androids were being set on fire. Sure he didn't like the plastics but he still wouldn't set any on fire like that. He had thought about it on a few occasions but he'd never be able to afford to replace the damned things if he got caught. Plus the whole 'enforce the law' thing was pretty important. It'd look back on him if he was found destroying someone else's property. It would hurt his chances of ever furthering his career.

Still. Why go through all that trouble over a few androids? Not only had their registrations been removed – which was so fucking illegal, like identity thief on steroids – but nobody cared to report any missing androids. It was hard to identify them without their appearances too. No pictures to cross reference or anything. They had just fallen off the face of the earth. Some unnamed and unknown bodies just floating around the system now. What did androids do with their dead anyway? That was an odd thought.

Falling off the face of the earth. That seemed like a good idea right now. Then he could just enjoy the nothingness that came with it. No pain, no suffering. That would be it. Sometimes, more often than he liked to admit, but sometimes he wanted to just slip into a place between living and dying. And sometimes, he thought that that place would be very much like sleeping. So why it eluded him, he had no idea. Like how this case eluded him. It just didn't want to be caught. He was grasping at threads here. Even with the help of Cyberlife's most advanced model they were still stumped. What did that say about them and their abilities? They couldn't even place one destroyed android, let alone five. The bodies were piling up like trash.

Trash. They had been disposed of like trash. Treated less than human. He knew that humanity was fucked up and twisted. Even among humans, people like the homeless and prostitutes –

He bolted upright, eyes wide open as the realization slammed into him like a bag of fucking bricks! Gavin scrambled to get out of the bed. He had been tangled in the blankets. He didn't remember tucking himself in. What the fuck?

That didn't matter! He leapt out of the bed, nearly falling on his face as he darted out of the room. He made his way towards Richard's desk, sliding across the tile as he came to a stop behind it. "I got it!" He screamed at the android, who didn't even flinch but looked over its shoulder at him.

"Detective, you should be – "

"Prostitutes! They were prostitutes!"

Richard blinked at him. "While they may have been models specialized for companionship – "

Gavin pinched the bridge of his nose before he put a hand on the back of Richard's chair, the other going to rest on the surface of the desk. He leaned over the android. "No listen, we've been looking too narrow. Pull up all the cases of damaged androids. But only the ones where the registration's been tampered with."

Richard stared up at him for a moment. Gavin nodded at him to get a move on. Richard did as he was told, LED flashing yellow. "Currently there are six other cases within those parameters."

"How were they disposed?"

"Two cases involve the bodies being found in the river. One case involves a self-destructed android. The other three were pulled apart by heavy machinery."

While they were brutal in their own right, someone was making sure that these androids couldn't be identified. "The models?"

"All models could be used for companionship, some with necessary modifications but companionship none the less."

"Nines, they're being prostituted. Whoever is calling the shots is getting rid of them when they want out of the game. Like human prostitutes, if the pimp doesn't want them to leave, they fake a suicide or drug overdose. Poof gone. Body right into the river. Only you can't drug an android."

Finally the android was riding this train with him. "It would be imperative that they couldn't be identified if they are being used for prostitution."

Gavin let go of the back of the chair and instead, put his hand on Richard's shoulder. He then started to shake him lightly. Gavin was practically buzzing with excitement. "Now you're getting it! See if you can find any workers that suddenly left clubs like Eden. Stopped showing up, or started receiving unusual cliental."

"It will take me some time for me to obtain that information. Establishments such as the Eden Club pride themselves on being discrete."

Gavin grinned down at Richard, who was currently staring up at him. "Oh, I'm sure you'll figure something out." He was fairly confident in Richard's abilities. After all, if Connor could crack deviancy and the Jericho case within a week's time, surely Richard could power his way through this. Now that they actually had a direction they were pointed in. It should be fairly easy. Unless this was a dead end, and Gavin was wrong. God he hoped he wasn't wrong.

Well…actually he might want to be wrong. Android prostitution would be difficult to handle.

Gavin let go of Richard and stood up straight. He suddenly felt very light headed. "How long do you think it'll take?" He asked instead, trying to steady himself on his feet. He had moved to try and walk to his desk but the world tipped instead. He didn't hit the ground though. Instead when the world came back into focus, he felt strong arms around him, holding him up in an awkward embrace. "I don't…I feel…ugh," he mumbled as he was hit with sudden nausea.

"You really should rest Detective," Richard's voice said from behind him, right against his ear. Gavin nodded his head slightly. Yeah, rest sounded like a good idea. Richard righted him on his feet, but kept a grip on him in case Gavin's face decided it wanted to become friends with the ground again. He leaned heavily against Richard as they walked back to the rest room. The android steered him back to the bed he had been laying in before he had had his epiphany. Richard laid Gavin down on the bed, bringing the blanket up to cover his body as Gavin's eyes struggled to stay open.

"…know…you'll – with the information," Gavin started to mumble incoherently.

"I'll wake you as soon as I find something Detective. Now rest," Richard promised him before turning to leave. He watched the android's blurry form walk away from him before everything faded to black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter nine of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I apologize for not posting this yesterday. I was so dog beat tired that as soon as I laid down, I passed right out. What was supposed to be a two to three hour nap turned into twelve. I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me! Hopefully Nines and Gavin being buddies again helps.
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with updates and my progress, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you in the next chapter!


	10. Neon

Richard had never come to wake him up. Instead, Gavin found himself waking up on his own some time after falling asleep. When he finally came back to the world of the living, he didn't want to stay awake long. His eyes still stung with the need to sleep and his head felt cloudy. He fully intended to just roll over and try to go back to sleep. And he tried, did exactly that. Until the pain of hunger made him feel as if his stomach was eating itself. He took it as a sign that maybe, it was time to get his shit together and finally eat. So slowly, Gavin threw the covers off of him and got off of the cot. His body creaked as he moved to stand, making him feel older than he actually was. When he stretched his arms over his head, his back let out a series of pops that made Gavin shiver. It shouldn't be normal for the human body to make so much noise. Jesus.

He slipped his shoes on his feet before walking back into the precinct. It was mostly empty, like it was in the middle of the night. When had he gone to sleep? He didn't remember checking before he passed out. Still, it had only been a few hours right? Richard wasn't even at their joined desks.

Gavin let out a big yawn before running his hand through his hair. He made his way towards his desk, rubbing his neck as he walked. It felt so stiff. He tried to roll his head from side to side to relieve some of the tension. It didn't help. He just let it be as he sank into his chair. His body felt heavy once he had sat down. Tense and sore. Some places were stiff. He groaned painfully as he tried to massage his own shoulder. This was just not working.

"Detective," Richard said suddenly from his side. Gavin nearly jumped out of his skin, eyes snapping open to look up at his partner. The android was holding out a paper bag in one hand and a cup of freshly brewed coffee in the other. "I hope you slept well?"

He stared up at the android for a moment before nodding his head. He reached forward to grab the two objects offered to him. "Thanks," He mumbled as he set the bag on his desk and nursed the coffee to his lips. Richard nodded before going to sit at its own desk. "How long was I out?"

"Approximately thirteen hours and forty-three minutes."

Gavin paused in his sipping of his coffee. He looked up to stare at Richard like 'are you serious?' Richard merely nodded. "Shit," he hissed before finally taking a sip. His body instantly relaxed at the warmth, it seeping into his bones and very soul. He definitely needed it. He was even more grateful to Richard for getting it for him now. He let out a deep sigh before taking another sip.

"You had asked me to wake you if I found anything, however with how android sex establishments set up as they are, no records can be located." Well that was a big problem. It didn't help that androids were just being recognized as sentient beings. Data bases and systems were still being implemented into businesses to keep records of employment and ID. Places that liked to work under the table, it would be even harder to track down their employee records.

"Shit," Gavin hissed again. He set his cup of coffee down onto the desk, placing his elbows on the surface and running both hands through his hair. So while this may be a good lead, they still didn't know where to go with it. Gavin chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before looking up to Richard. "What time is it?"

"Four eighteen in the morning." Gavin chewed on his cheek again before he got up out of his chair. He grabbed his coffee before picking up his keys. "Detective, where are you going?"

Gavin shrugged a bit. "Seems like a good time to stop by a sex establishment huh?" He took a long sip of his coffee as Richard stood up, seeming to understand what he was getting at. "I need a shower first. I'll be back within twenty – maybe thirty minutes." He started to walk away only to hear Richard grab the food from his desk and follow behind him.

"It would be more effective if we take leave your apartment to go directly there instead of driving all the way back. Besides," it stepped in front of Gavin, pushing the bag into his chest for him to grab all the while snagging the keys. "You can eat on the way there." Richard then continued walking towards the parking garage, spinning the car keys around its index finger.

The detective took a few moments to process what had happened before he jogged to catch up with Richard. Damn that thing can walk fast! With it's fucking long legs and shit! "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't I get a say?" Richard merely gave him a look. Gavin groaned, accepting defeat. He was still too tired to fight with the damned thing. He'd get it next time.

With a hot shower, fresh shave, and clean clothes; Gavin was ready to take on the world! Well, not literally but he felt ten times better than he had been feeling for a long while. Mister Ass was even happy to see him, getting some cuddles and pets before the two partners took off towards their destination. It wasn't Eden but they were practically all the same. Bright neon lights, holograms of androids dancing behind the glass. The models that were originally waiting behind glass had all been moved to assigned rooms. Putting androids on display like that was considered inhuman now, so instead they had more poles and holograms showing off what was available.

Places like this always gave Gavin the creeps. He just didn't understand why anybody would want to fuck something that wasn't into it. That was half the fun. No amount of programming could make up for that actual human interaction of your partner enjoying themselves. Androids were just too fake, too programmed. It wasn't real. But then again, maybe people didn't care about real. They just wanted to get off without having to worry about the consequences; be them emotional or physical. Don't get him wrong, he was no stranger to one night stands. But it was mutual at that point. Just scratching an itch that two people had. They'd meet up, fuck, then be on their way. There was just no personality to establishments like this.

In short, Gavin didn't like it so he didn't partake in it.

And yet, somehow, he always found himself investigating these fucking places. Go figure. He and Richard walked into the establishment. His eyes were immediately harassed by flashing lights and advertisements popping out at him from the walls. He had to squint to really see anything. Once they were pass the initial entrance room, the lights softened. Lines of neon ran on both sides of the floor, where the walls connected. It was like a runway, illuminating the path forward to the rooms. Each room had a hologram next to it with the android that was stationed inside. Their 'preferences' were listed so clients could pick whatever the hell they wanted. Not as freely as before the revolution when every android did whatever the hell you wanted it to. But still fairly open considering.

Gavin immediately approached an android that was dancing on a pole. It slid down, narrowing its eyes on him. "Hey baby, want me to show you a good time?" The male android asked in a very seductive way.

The detective answered his question by bringing up his badge for the android to see. "How about you show me your boss instead?"

The android immediately dropped the act, standing straight next to the pole as it nodded at him. "I've just requested him for you. He'll be out in a minute or so, if you just want to wait. Or you could browse around for a bit." It winked at him before going back to twirling around the pole.

Gavin let out a huff as he stepped off to the side. He leaned his shoulder against the wall, arms crossed as he waited. Richard stood at his side, back straight with hands behind its back. Like usual. Gavin had half a mind to just pay for some android to take Richard and show it how to loosen up. Relax a little. Maybe then he wouldn't feel so human around the thing. Obsolete. Inefficient. That sounds like a word Richard would use. He huffed as he continued to wait and stew on his own thoughts. His arm was starting to itch. It was healing nicely but, god, was it itchy. He had to keep reminding himself to stop trying to pick at it. He was sure it wasn't going to scar; he had gotten good at predicting if they would or wouldn't over the years.

That was something else that androids were superior at. If they got injured, all they had to do was get a limb replaced. Humans; no. Humans had to wait and recover from the wounds. They didn't get second chances like androids. If Richard had suffered the cut to its arm, then it would probably had it fixed up or just replaced. It didn't have to deal with the almost unbearable urge to just scratch and scratch until the wound was open and flowing again. Fucking things.

A rather scruffy looking man was walking over to them. Gavin pushed himself up straight, arms still crossed. He eyed the man up and down in the poor lighting. He had a full mustache and beard, a teeshirt that was stained with…something. He hoped it was food grease or something and a zip up hoodie that was open with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. Overall, looked like a laid back kind of guy, but in a sleazy 'don't trust him as far as you can throw him' kind of way.

"What can I do you for officer?" He asked, his voice straining to remain upbeat and happy. Obviously he wasn't happy about having two officers in his establishment. Well too fucking bad.

"Detective Reed, this is Richard," Gavin introduced them, flashing the man his badge just to show the man that he meant business and not to fuck around with him. "We're here to ask you a few questions." The man simply nodded. Gavin was expecting to be brought into a back room or off to the side for some privacy but apparently not. Not that he really cared. So he brought out his notepad and flipped it open. "We're investigating reports of missing androids. The models correspond to those that work in this establishment and others like it. Have any of your employees gone missing recently?"

"Oh no, no. All employees accounted for." Somehow, Gavin didn't believe him. He still nodded and wrote that down.

"Alright, have any androids quit suddenly?"

He cocked his head to the side. "There were two but when they expressed that they wanted out of the business, I sent them on their way. Gave them their paycheck and wished them luck in life. Ya know."

"No I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Uh, I simply meant that with the new laws with androids I don't keep anybody here that doesn't want to be here. Believe it or not, some of them like the job."

Gavin nodded his head absently. "Sure they do. Has any android been seeing strange clientele? Anybody out of the ordinary?"

"I think they've all had their fair share of freaks in the bedroom if ya know what I mean." The guy winked at Gavin. He wanted to punch his teeth in. Instead, Gavin just rolled his eyes slightly. "But not anyone that stands out. My employees know that if they have a problem with a client they can come to me to handle it."

Now that was interesting. "And how do you handle it?"

The guy gave a shrug, waving his hand in the air like it wasn't a big deal. "Oh ya know, tell 'em to leave. If they aren't satisfied, reimburse them. Give them coupons. Stuff like that."

"Right…" Gavin said slowly, jotting some more stuff down. Perhaps he'd have better luck with another club. He closed his pad and slipped it into his pocket. "Thank you for your time."

The man beamed. "Of course! And ya know, I got a deep respect for the law and it's officers. How about I give you a free fifteen on the house?"

Gavin raised an eyebrow at him. "I think I'm good."

The man reached forward and patted his arm before Gavin could pull away. "Well, take a few to look around. Let me know if that changes." He then turned on his heels and started to walk away.

The detective let out a deep breath through his nose. He'd have to burn this jacket now. He shoved his hands into his pockets and moved to walk out of the building. He was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm right above his elbow.

"Detective," Richard said, leaning in close to him.

Gavin tried to pull away from the hold. "What?" He bit out when he couldn't shake the android's hold on him.

Richard released Gavin only to subtly point towards one of the rooms. When Gavin looked over his shoulder towards that direction, he saw an android leaning out of the room it was assigned. It was trying to look nonchalant, like it was just waiting for a client but its eyes lingered on them a little too long for it to be effective. "She's been watching us since her last client left."

He turned back to look back at Richard. "And?"

The android stared down at him like he was stupid. "Perhaps she has information for us."

Gavin shook his head. "Club policy has the androids' memories erased…" He trailed off as he thought about what he was going to say. Hadn't that changed with the new laws? "…Nevermind," he hummed as he promptly turned on his heel and started to casually walk over to the room. When he reached her 'preferences' window, he pretended to be interested. He bent forward a bit to 'read' it. He then stood straight, looking around. He could see the shadow of someone far off in the distance. "Ya know, I thought about it and I do have about fifteen minutes for a break."

"Glad to hear you've come to your senses Detective Reed," He heard the man say. Gavin hoped the shadow was the man. Otherwise he was eyeballing some weirdo. "Just go inside, I'll handle the menu from my end."

Gavin stepped to the side to stand in front of the doorway and the female android that was leaning there. She was wearing some pretty standard lingerie, lacy baby doll stop and lacy bottoms. So apparently the sex robot uniform changed with the laws too. Alright, that was a thing. Gavin nodded his head to gesture her inside. She started taking measured steps backwards into the room. He then moved into the room, trying to close it behind him when a hand stopped them from closing. He looked to see Richard entering the room before closing the door. "Are you serious right now?" He rounded on the android.

"If she happens to have any information – "

"Do you have any idea how fucking suspicious this looks now!?" Gavin ran a hand through his hair. "Fucking…shit." He grumbled. Apparently discretion was not something androids were programmed for. Got it. He turned back to the female android who was sitting on the bed. Her arms were wrapped around her chest to be as modest as possible. Legs crossed as well. Gavin just felt this feeling ping in his stomach that he couldn't quite place. "Okay look, my partner here saw you eyeballing us in the hallway so we just came to see if you have any information. This is by no means a sex thing," he reassured it.

It seemed to relax a bit, actually turning its face up to look at him now. "Are…You're here to help right?"

Gavin nodded his head. "If you can give me information, then yes. I'll see what I can do."

It nodded its head. Then hefted a big sigh before dropping its arms into its lap. "Kevin doesn't care enough to keep records of who's working here. He just lists the names but gets no ID or verification." Gavin nodded as he pulled out his notebook and started writing all of this down. "But workers are going missing!"

"Are you positive of this?" Richard spoke all of a sudden.

The female android nodded. "Yes. Some were my friends."

"How do you know they're missing?" Gavin questioned, bringing its attention back to him.

It shifted uncomfortably at that. "We'd meet up sometimes after work. If something comes up, they let me or the others know…but they've just stopped talking to us! They don't show up! They don't answer when we call!" It was starting to become very upset. Gavin wasn't exactly sure how to handle a distraught android. He could barely handle distraught people.

It was Gavin's turn to shift uncomfortably. He stepped towards it, putting a reassuring hand on its shoulder. "I understand that this is difficult but we don't have much time." He was trying to be sensitive. But it was kind of hard to do it towards an android.

It nodded its head, making sniffling noises. "Yes, yes, of course. I'm sorry." Gavin was about to pull away when he noticed something on the side of its neck. It looked like a scar almost. Which was odd. Androids didn't really scar. If they did, the paneling could easily be replaced. He brushed its shoulder length hair to the side a bit.

"The hell happen to you?" He found himself asking without really thinking.

_Software Instability ^^^_

"Clients sometimes like to get a little too rough during sessions. They manage to break through skin and mark underneath…Any injury like this has to be covered by our own paychecks…"

Now that was just fucked up! Wasn't Kevin supposed to take care of the androids? Make sure they had livable wages? Wait, did androids even get minimum wage? He was shocked to realize that he just didn't know. He hadn't really cared enough to keep up with the news about android rights and now he was finding himself falling short. "And Kevin doesn't do it himself?"

It shook its head. "No, he feels that we should have to take care of our own maintenance."

Gavin removed his hand from its shoulder, instead directing it to rubbing the back of his head. While he understood not wanting to pay for maintenance for androids, if they were working for you then it should be something they had to cover. It was like being an officer. If you got injured on the job, job paid the medical bills. Apparently android rights still had a ways to go. "And you don't get paid enough to do it on your own." It was more of a statement then a question as Gavin dropped his hand and placed it on his hip with a frustrated huff. He didn't want to care for these damn things but his job was making it so damned difficult!

"Detective, I don't see how this pertains to the case." And then, of course, there was his android. Well, not exactly his but it was his partner and followed him around everywhere. Did that make Richard his? God he hoped not. Gavin thought he was a cold, heartless bastard; he'd think that Richard would be at least a little interested in the wellbeing of another android. What the fuck? He shot it a look over its shoulder. Richard was just standing there, like usual. Creepy fuck.

"Oh but it does! At least I think so…If anyone happens to have a rather rough customer and get repairs, this guy shows up."

Now that was interesting. "A guy?" Gavin questioned as he started to take notes again.

"Yes, he makes sure to catch us before we get off our shifts. He tells us he knows someone who can fix us up for cheap, gives us a card, and then goes on his way."

"And you didn't think this wasn't at least a little suspicious?"

It frantically nodded its head. "I did! I mean, I do! I don't trust him but my friends…when you're as desperate as we are, they were willing to take the chance." It sounded too good to be true. And when it sounded too good to be true, it usually was. This person fixing up androids was most likely luring them in with the promise of cheap maintenance, then jacked the prices up once they were regulars. It was a typical thing to do when someone wanted to take advantage of a shitty situation.

"Do you still have this card?"

It nodded its head, lifting up its palm to show a projection of the business card. That was a smart way to give androids information. Didn't leave a paper trail. Richard stepped forward, offering a white hand to allow for a data transfer. The female android accepted, its own hand going white before they clasped like they were just shaking hands. The female android's eyes did this sporadic blinking while Richard just seemed to zone out, its eyes not focusing on anything. Gavin had no choice but to wait for them to be finished. It took only a moment but that was still enough for Gavin to feel like he was out of the loop. He didn't know what information was being transferred and damn it, he wanted to know!

Richard finally blinked and their hands disconnected. "I have a clear image of the man who distributes the cards."

Gavin blinked. "Oh shit, really?" Richard nodded, the female android smiling from the bed where she was sitting.

"It's the least I could do. I hope it helps."

"Oh it does, believe me," He reassured it. "If that's everything, we really should get going." Gavin moved towards the exit of the room.

"Oh…right." It sounded distraught. Why was it upset now?

Gavin paused at the door, looking over his shoulder. "What is it?"

It quickly shook its head. "Nothing, it's nothing." He turned to face it, arms crossed over his chest and gave it a look. "It's just…well you don't look like we've…ya know…had sex."

"And that's a problem why?" Gavin asked slowly.

"Kevin doesn't like it if the customers don't leave looking satisfied. He…docks our pay for the session to encourage us to be as pleasing as possible." Could Gavin just punch this guy? The more he heard about him, the more he just wanted to knock his teeth down his throat. He rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of something. He didn't want it to be punished because he was doing his job.

"We only have two minutes before we must leave, Detective," Richard felt the need to remind him. Ok, so that gave him two minutes to come up with something.

He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Okay, I got it." Both androids looked at him with their heads cocked as he started to bounce up and down on his toes.

"…What are you doing, Detective?" Richard asked slowly. Gavin didn't answer as he felt that he had bounced enough. His heart rate was up and his breathing had gotten harder slightly. He then toed off his shoes, shucking his jacket off and onto the ground. He really didn't want to think about what was on the floor and what was now on his jacket.

"He'll come get us if we stay too long right?" Gavin asked as he started bouncing again, just to keep up the breathless act. The female android nodded its head. "How much time is left?"

"Less than a minute," Richard answered.

Gavin gestured for the android to stand up. It did. "Run your hands through my hair or something. Just ruffle it, ya know, give me bed head." It immediately stepped forward and started to do so.

"I appreciate you doing this," it said to him in a soft voice. Gavin nodded as he undid his belt and pulled it through the metal loop so that it sat open on his hips. He nearly jumped out of his skin though when it pressed its lips against his neck and started sucking. He felt his face heat up.

"Uh…" He voiced without meaning to.

It pulled away from him. "Sorry, I thought maybe a mark would make it more convincing." He just nodded his head. He heard the door open behind and Gavin immediately grabbed its face to kiss it. It responded wholeheartedly.

_Software Instability ^^^_

"Detective, I'm afraid your free session has come to an end. If you'd like to continue, you can always purchase more time." God his voice was annoying. More so than Richard and Connor's.

Gavin forced a groan as he stopped kissing the android. "I only had enough time for the fifteen," he lied. He then hastily shoved his feet into his shoes, bending to grab his jacket and sling it over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. "I don't know what you're paying her, but give her a raise," He smiled at Kevin, who smirked back.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself."

"Do come back!" The android called from the room, sounding very pleased. Richard was hot on his tail as he walked.

Gavin slipped his jacket on, catching Kevin's wide eyes upon seeing Richard exit the room. "Don't worry, he just likes to watch," he lied again quickly. Kevin just nodded his head before Gavin shoved his hands into his pockets after buckling his belt again and walked out of the club.

Once they both were safely outside, Gavin fished his carton of cigarettes from his jacket and plucked one out. He placed it between his lips as he lit it with his lighter that he fished out next. "That was unprofessional, Detective."

He didn't respond right away, instead starting to puff at his cancer stick. "Yeah, so?" He finally said after he expelled the smoke from his lungs.

"There could be consequences for such actions."

Gavin patted Richard's chest with the back of his free hand. "If anyone's worried about it, they can just watch the whole thing from you. You record everything don't ya?" He then started to walk back to his car, not waiting for Richard's response.

  _Software Instability ^^^_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for watching chapter ten of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I apologize for taking so long to get this up. It took a little longer to get this chapter the way I wanted it than it usually does. It's also longer than most chapters. To put it into perspective, the average chapter is four to five pages long and this one is eight to nine pages. So yeah, it took me a while longer. I also believe that I will be able to end this arc within the next two, maybe three chapters. So this part is almost done! I'm not sure if I want to separate the arcs into different stories or keep it all contained in one. If you have any thoughts, let me know. Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and lets me know you guys like what I'm doing.
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates; check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	11. Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me...

As soon as Richard was able to identify the guy's photo in the database, they were able to swing by his last listed residence. On the way there, Richard informed him of the guy's rep sheet. Which honestly just consisted of some small-time crimes, petty things like thief and possession of drugs. Nothing too big or noteworthy. All in all, Chad McDonald didn't seem like a bad guy. A guy that wasn't home when they stopped by his place, but not a bad guy. The apartment complex was pretty average, a bit on the pricey end but if Chad had room mates then he could easily afford rent in the building. And with it being still so early in the morning, about five – thirty actually, Gavin wasn't too sure what the hell the guy was doing. Even he was home before this time of morning. Usually.

Out of the four neighbors they tried to wake up, only one came to the door. So either everyone was heavy sleepers or they were just ignoring them. Not that Gavin really blamed them, but still. It sure as hell made his job harder. As it turns out, Chad tended to work odd hours so he didn't follow a set schedule when it came to coming home at night or early in the mornings. The neighbor didn't know where he worked, just that he was all over the place when it came to times. Helpful, but not really. He asked the neighbor to give him a call if Chad happened to come back. They agreed and went back to probably catch a few more winks of sleep. And how Gavin envied them. He was still exhausted even after all the sleep he had gotten. But this was why coffee was his good friend.

The two would've gone to check out Chad's current work place on file but a call from Fowler had them making a detour back to the precinct. "I'd like an update on the case," the man said as soon as they had entered his office.

Gavin slid into one of the chairs, Richard stood behind the second like it usually did. "Well we have a lead. We tried to check out his place but he wasn't home. We were going to check out his work place but then you decided to leash us back, so here we are."

Captain Fowler nodded his head along with what Gavin was saying. "How did you come across this lead?"

"An android from…shit what was it called?" He pulled out his notepad to begin flipping through his notes to find the name of the establishment.

"Diamond Dust," Richard answered for him easily.

Gavin snapped his fingers. "Yeah that one!"

Captain Fowler shook his head and held up a hand to stop Gavin right there. "Wait, you're lead is from an android sex club? How the fuck did you come up with that?"

The detective shrugged. "Well after a wonderful epiphany, it occurred to me that we're probably dealing with a pimp getting rid of his girls when they want out of the game."

"And what exactly made you come to that conclusion?" He asked slowly, trying to understand how Gavin had come up with that one.

The detective shrugged before listing reasons on his fingers. "Well, the registrations were all tampered with." One finger. "They could all be companion models." Two fingers.

"Modifications would have to be made for some models," Richard added.

Gavin merely nodded his head. "Honestly it just feels like someone is getting rid of them. Usually pimps'll drug their girls and fake overdoses. Can't do that with androids." He finished, staring at Fowler who was giving him a look. They were quiet for a few moments before Gavin finally caved. "What!?" He bit out.

"That's good work, Detective. I'm finally starting to remember why I keep you around." Gavin let out a huff, crossing his arms over his chest as he slouched more into the chair. Despite the compliment, it felt a little back handed. Like Gavin knew he was a good detective, a damned good one. He did get mouthy and had a temper but he still deserved more credit than he was given.

Captain Fowler was talking to Richard about something pertaining to the case, probably just some follow up questions about what they had learned from the android. Gavin couldn't help but feel a ping through his chest upon remembering it – her. He didn't even ask her for her name. Wow, he really was a piece of shit. He should really go back and ask. Maybe check up on her when all of this was said and done. Make sure that ass hole Kevin was treating her right. It was the least he could do considering that she had given them the lead they needed to crack this case. Potentially. They still needed to get ahold of this Chad guy. Which honestly was leaving this odd feeling in his gut. Like, something was off about this whole thing. He felt like they weren't getting the bigger picture. Sure destroying androids that knew of their prostitute ring would keep them in business but letting a hooker go was still better than getting the police on their asses. What was so important about these androids that they were being destroyed simply for being a part of it?

"Trafficking…?" Gavin voiced out loud as he mused over his thoughts, scratching his chin absently. It made sense. It would be why someone was offering to fix up androids from clubs who needed repairs for cheap. It still followed the pattern of jacking up the prices once they were regulars. But what if it went further than that? What if it escalated the point that the androids were in debt due to the repairs and a way to pay it off was to work under new management? Only the catch was, there was no paying off the debt so they remained under one person's thumb. It would explain why the androids were going missing as opposed to just remaining at the clubs they worked at. And the androids that came up dead; they were probably going to go to the police or something. Something happened that made this person kill them. He just didn't know what yet.

"What's going on Detective?" Fowler's voice pulled him from his thoughts. His eyes refocused on the Captain, chewing on the inside of his cheek for a moment before answering.

"If this were just a simple case of prostitutes being taken advantage of by a pimp, why the bodies? Why get the police on their tail? That's just fucking stupid." He took a moment to cock is head to the side as a thought passed through his head. He straightened his head back upright. "It almost feels like we're dealing with trafficking," he voiced finally. There was a long pause of silence within the office. Long enough that Gavin was starting to squirm a little in his seat. He managed to hide it but bouncing his leg. "I know – " He started to justify.

"If that's the case, I'm assigning Anderson and Connor to the case as backup." That was not the reaction he was expecting.

The detective threw his hands up into the air with frustration. "Oh come  **on**! Nines and I got this!" He tried to defend. The look in Captain Fowler's eyes told him that he wasn't buying it.

"If it's even a possibility we are dealing with a trafficking ring, I want my best detectives working on it." While any other time, Gavin would've hooked his fingers into that compliment now was not the time to be distracted by pretty words. Fowler wanted him to work with both plastics  **and**  Anderson for fucks sake!

"I already have one Robocop on my ass with this case, do I really need two?" Gavin made the mistake of asking.

"With luck, it'll teach you some manners. Now shut the fuck up and catch Anderson up to speed." Well that was the end of that conversation. Gavin groaned heavily as he got to his feet and moved out of the office. He then made a beeline for Hank's desk. The man was sitting there working paperwork most likely. Connor was no where to be seen. So Gavin walked right over and plopped his ass down right where Connor usually sat on Hank's desk.

"The fuck you want Reed?"

Gavin cocked his head to the side slightly, smirk on his lips. "What? I can't visit the precincts favorite senile ol' man?" He would be dead if looks could kill with that glare that was sent his way. Gavin held his hands up in surrender. "Fowler wants us to buddy up with my case. Might be sex trafficking." He explained simply, putting a hand on his thigh as he turned to look over his shoulder. He would assume that Richard would be near to give Anderson the files. Where was that fucker?

He finally found the tall figure standing by their desk with Connor. The smaller android was staring up at Richard with a slight head cock. Richard pulled the skin away from its hand offering it to Connor, who took it. Gavin could see Connor's eyes twitch quickly, much like that android in the club had done when Richard did the data transfer. Something deep inside him wished he could transfer data that quickly, it would be so fucking convenient if he could. But he quickly stamped out that thought when he realized that he was actually  **envying**  the fucking tin cans for their ability. Like, what the fuck had gotten into him? He must be getting sick or something.

"Creepy as fuck," he said instead, turning his head away as the two got their freak on.

Hank let out a thoughtful hum, leaning back in his chair. "I don't know, Connor doesn't seem to mind. He prefers it actually. Something about raw data and being able to interpret the information himself…or something. I kinda block a lot of the technical mumbo jumbo out." Gavin scoffed. Hank then tapped his own neck with his finger. "Have a lil' fun while you were running around?"

At first, he was confused as to what Hank was talking about. He shot the man a look that expressed as much. "What - ?" He started to ask before realization set in. "The fuck it matter to you? Mad that I actually can still get some action?" While that hadn't been the case with the android, Hank didn't need to fucking know that.

It was Hank's turn to scoff. "Get off my desk," he demanded instead of biting the line that Gavin was throwing.

Gavin crossed his arms over his chest. "What you gonna do? Make me?" He really should've known that Hank wasn't going to take that lying down. As soon as Gavin turned his head to look at the two android that were now walking over to them, Hank's foot shot out and collided with his shin. Hard. The detective hissed as he slid off the desk right as Hank was bringing his foot back for another kick. "Fuck you Anderson! Fucking, shit, you call me a child!" He bit out as he used his hand to lean against the desk, his other hand holding his shin up as he tried to rub the pain away. It had been a good solid hit too. Was that fucker wearing steel toed shoes? Oh Gavin was going to shoot him if he was!

"Detective," Connor greeted from his side as he moved to lean against the desk where Gavin was sitting only moments before. Of course Hank would want him away from his pet's favorite spot. Gavin merely grumbled at the android as he set his foot down on the ground again, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood straight.

"You are a child Reed," Hank responded lightly before turning his attention to Connor. "Got everything?" Connor nodded its head.

Gavin unfolded his arms and clapped his hands together loudly. "Great!" Gavin said suddenly. "You two stay here and go over everything we've got, while Richard and I can go check out our lead. Have fun you two!" He then turned on his heel and started to walk towards his desk to grab his keys. Instead, he felt someone grab onto the collar of his jacket to stop him in his tracks.

"The Lieutenant and Connor will be joining us," Richard said evenly, letting go of Gavin when the detective had started to turn back around.

"Seriously? That's overkill and you know it," Gavin tried, huffing at the look that Richard had shot him. "Fucking  **fine** ," he ground out. He tried not to pout as he waited for the old man to gather his own things so that they could head out. He was considering going out for a quick smoke, just let them catch up to him out in the garage when he realized he was being stared at. His eyes quickly found the perpetrator. None other than Connor. It was staring at him intently, curious look in its brown eyes with that stupid slight cock to its head. Gavin stared back, trying to get it to look away. "What're you staring at?" He demanded.

"Cool it Reed. Let's go," Hank said immediately after Gavin snapped. Gavin replied to the old man with a growl, lip upturned to show his teeth slightly before he turned to stomp out to the garage.

"It was admirable, what you did for that android." He heard from beside him as all four of them walked to their cars. He looked over to his left, seeing Connor walking beside him. At first, he was shocked, confused as to how Connor could even know what he did for that android. Did Richard really share that bit of information when they interfaced? Oh dear god… He felt his face flush a bit, mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with something to say. His teeth clicked together when he finally closed his mouth.

"Yeah well…Don't mention it. Like ever," he grumbled finally before picking up his walking pace to put more distance between him and Connor. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? Fuck that! He had nothing to be embarrassed about!

They finally left the building, entering the parking garage. Gavin started to go towards his car. "We can take mine," Hank offered.

Gavin snorted. "I'm not riding in that piece of shit you have for a car."

"It's not a piece of shit! It's a classic!"

"That's just another word for old as fuck. Like you," he snarked.

"Fuck you Reed."

"It would be more efficient to take one vehicle," Connor pipped up.

"Yeah, but I'm not taking something that could fall apart at any moment."

"It's not gonna fall apart!"

"Says you! I'd rather take a taxi!" Which was saying something because Gavin did not like the self-driving cars. He kind of followed Anderson's example in getting a manual driving car. It was definitely newer than Anderson's piece of shit, but still considered old what with the self-driving cars.

"Oh stop being a baby about it Reed," Hank ground out. Gavin flipped him the bird.

"I suggest that we come to an agreement soon. It is not productive to waste time like this over something so trivial," Richard voiced suddenly. Gavin shot it a glare.

"Yeah Reed, you're holding us up," Hank smirked, making Gavin turn his glare to him instead.

"Fuck. Off. Me and Richard will meet you there." He turned on his heel and started to stalk over to his own vehicle, effectively ending the conversation. He had to glance over to his side to see if Richard was following him. Indeed it was. They made it to his car soon enough, taking off to go check out Chad's work place.

Chad's workplace, a mechanic's shop, actually hadn't seen him in months. He just stopped showing up one day. Which was uncharacteristic of him, apparently. He always called when he had to take a sick day or something came up to where he couldn't come in. They were worried that this would lead to another dead end but after talking to some of Chad's coworkers, they were able to find out a place that he frequented quite often. Some run-down apartment in a not so safe part of Detroit. Which was saying something because nowhere in Detroit was truly considered 'safe.' There had been some claims of the apartment building being a Red Ice hotspot but nothing concrete. Which could only mean one thing: stake out!

Now Gavin usually enjoyed stake outs. Stake outs were fun. Except when they weren't. Having to sit around and wait for the suspect you were waiting for fucking sucked. Especially when your only company was an ever-stoic android. At least he was able to catch up on some much needed rest while waiting for something to happen. Gavin and Richard were assigned the first watch, alternating with Hank and Connor every twelve hours. They had already been watching the building for two days already. Nothing. Gavin was starting to think that maybe their guy Chad had skipped town or something. Or was dead in a ditch somewhere. If he was still using, it wouldn't be too hard to believe that he overdosed on accident somewhere.

Currently Richard and Gavin were parked around the corner, still within eyesight of the building but not too close to cause suspicion. Gavin had managed to shove a few parking tickets under his windshield wipers to help his car fit in. It was almost time for Connor and Hank to relieve them, Gavin tapping on the stirring wheel as he waited.

"What are you tapping?" Richard asked suddenly, scaring the ever living fuck out of Gavin. Sometimes he forgot that Richard was in the car with him, the fucker was just so quiet all the time. Gavin shot him a confused look, mainly because wasn't sure why Richard was even asking. "It sounds like a beat to a song but I can't seem to locate where it comes from," the android explained upon seeing Gavin's face.

The detective shrugged. "It's a pretty old song," Gavin explained. He stopped tapping though, letting out a deep sigh as he adjusted himself in the seat to be more comfortable. Like it would do any good. His ass was hurting from sitting for so fucking long. No amount of adjusting would help him, not until he could finally get up and move.

"What song?" Richard questioned.

Now Gavin didn't really want to answer. Not because he was embarrassed about the song or the tapping. No, it was nothing like that. He mainly didn't want to answer because normally, whenever he answered these questions, the one that would follow is 'why that song?' And he just didn't feel like answering that follow up question. So he shrugged again. "It's not important." He tried.

Richard was silent for a moment. "I would still like to know, Detective." Damn android and its curiosity!

Gavin let out a deep breath, rolling his stiff neck from side to side. "Just don't laugh alright?" He cast Richard a glance. He waited for it to nod its head. "Awake and Alive. It's by a band called Skillet." In the reflection of the passenger window, he could see Richard's LED turn yellow briefly, as it looked up the song most likely. He waited, just waited for that follow up question.

"Thank you, Detective. I would seem that I could not located it because you were tapping out multiple instruments." And that was it. No follow up question. Just silence once again. Well this was new.

Gavin stared at Richard for a long moment, the android staring straight ahead to the building before looking back over to him. "Detective?" It asked him.

He waited. Still nothing. "You're not gonna ask me why?" He asked slowly.

Richard cocked its head to the side. "I see no point in asking such a question." Gavin clicked his tongue before looking away from Richard. God he was bored. And hungry. Thank god he kept a stake out bag in his car. Complete with snacks and energy bars. He reached his arm behind the passenger seat, trying to sift through said bag for something to snack on. Only he couldn't get the damned thing open with only one hand. He grumbled as he leaned against the center console to use both hands. He tried not to pay attention to how Richard shifted slightly when he got close. He continued to grumble as he continued to look for what he was aiming for. Finally getting his hands on it, he let out a triumphant 'yes!' before righting himself back in his seat. His 'meal' consisted of saltine crackers, peanut butter, and a meat stick. He first tore into the meat stick, throwing the wrapper over his shoulder to be cleaned up later. He really didn't want to look behind his seat to see how much of a mess he had back there. Out of sight, out of mind.

Once that was eaten, he started to eat his crackers and peanut butter, pulling out a plastic knife to make it easier to spread it on the crackers. Now Gavin was never really a fan of peanut butter, especially consider how much of it he had a child. But it was easy and filling so he just sucked it up. When a particular bit got stuck to the roof of his mouth, Gavin tried to use his tongue to dislodge it as best as he could. "God I fucking hate peanut butter," he grumbled as he had to use his finger to get the fucking stuff to move.

"Then why are you eating it?" Richard asked, actually sounding curious.

Gavin slathered another cracker with the stuff. "'Cause it's cheap, filling, and good for protein." Plus when you hungry, you'd eat pretty much anything. But he didn't really feel it was necessary to explain that to an android that didn't need to eat.

"May I try?" Now that was not a question he was expecting to hear. He gawked over at Richard with wide eyes.

"You want to try peanut butter?" He asked slowly. Richard nodded at him. "But you don't eat."

"I still would like to try."

After a few moments, Gavin just handed the plastic jar over to Richard. "Knock yourself out." He was not going to take the thing to the equivalent of the emergency room because it was being a fucking moron. H couldn't help but watch though, as Richard took the jar from his hand and stare down at it. It then gathered a small bit of the brown spread on its finger from the rim before licking it off.

_Software Instability ^^^_

There was silence for a long moment before Richard handed Gavin back to jar. "Well?" He couldn't help but ask, curious as to what the android thought.

Then the android did something he never would've thought it would do. It shrugged. It fucking shrugged! "It's consistency is a little thick. I can see why you don't like it." What the absolute fuck was going on!? Gavin just shoved his cracker into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he turned his attention back to the building.

More silence. "Connor and Hank are here to relieve us." Well that was some good news. "They are currently pulling into position." He closed his jar of peanut butter, setting both it and the crackers back into the bag behind Richard's seat. He then moved to start his car so that they could leave when Richard put his hand on top of Gavin's, effectively stopping him. "Just a moment Detective."

"What is it?" He found himself looked towards the building.

"It would appear that our suspect is approaching the building." It took a moment before his eyes could locate Chad's figure but he did. He looked twitchy, constantly checked over his shoulder as he slowly walked up the building. "Connor is going to approach him before he can go into the building." Well that made sense. Kind of. Wasn't Connor's specialty negotiation? God he really needed to pay attention more. He watched as Connor approached the man, dressed in casual clothing for a change. It was weird to not see the Cyberlife uniform and armband. Even Richard had merely shucked off his jacket, leaving him in his black shirt and pants. Which was a little too formal for a stake out but whatever. And Gavin did not sneak glances at how form fitting the shirt was to the android. He did not!

Gavin immediately noticed that Chad looked too stiff as Connor approached. Something wasn't right. His eyes narrowed as he watched Chad like a hawk. "Something's not right," he voiced, reaching to get out of the car. Richard put a hand on his shoulder.

"Just a little longer Detective." And he waited. That was, until he heard a loud bang and saw Connor stumble backwards. Chad shot him.

"Fuck!" Gavin bolted out of the car, Richard quickly following. Chad bolted down the street, trying to get away. He had the advantage of distance but Richard moved to catch him. Gavin turned to Connor, trying to approach. "Connor!" He yelled, seeing the android recovering from the gun shot and taking off after Chad, right behind Richard. "Fuck!" Gavin yelled as he changed directions quickly and followed both the androids. Richard was fast approaching Chad, who must've known because he started to shoot behind himself. Gavin couldn't help but flinch. His first instinct was to seek cover but he had to pursue. So he ignored it and continued following.

Chad bolted to the left, running between the buildings to try and escape. The three followed. Gavin was slowly falling behind, his lungs starting to burn from the chase. He only knew where to go once he hit a two way path from hearing a gun shot ring down one direction. He booked down that alleyway, turning one more time to see that Hank had blocked off the exit to the street with his car. Richard currently had Chad against the car, hands cuffed behind his back with Connor handling the gun that was fired at them.

Gavin jogged up, getting about a yard's distance between him and the others before having to stop. He panted, leaning on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "'Bout time you showed up," Hank snarked.

"Fuck – " pant " – you. At least – " pant "I didn't – " pant " – have to drive." He coughed a bit, standing straight as he put his hands behind his head, spreading his elbows wide to try and open his lungs up for air. An old trick he learned from the gym.

"No, but you look like you're about to die." Gavin just waved off his comment, still struggling for breath.

"You good – " He coughed a bit, dropping his arms as he started to walk over to them, " – Connor?" He asked, seeing the spread of blue blood from the other's shoulder on his shirt.

He looked surprised by Gavin's question before nodding his head, soft smile on his face. "Yes, nothing important was damaged." Gavin shot him a thumbs up as he was forced to stop and lean on his knees again. God his legs were burning! They felt like they couldn't keep him up if he walked too much.

He then realized that Chad was screaming at them to let him go. "They're gonna kill me! Let me go! They're gonna kill me!" He repeated over and over again as Richard just held him so he couldn't get away. Right as Richard was going to open the door to put Chad into Hank's car, three things happened in succession.

First, a car came speeding around the corner to get onto the street they were currently on.

Second, three loud bangs came from said car as it passed them.

Third, Chad fell to the ground as two of the bullets hit him. One in the head, the other in his arm. The third bullet, well he wasn't sure where it had gone.

"Detective!"

"Reed!"

"Gavin!"

He heard all three yell at the same time. And he was confused. Why were they calling him? He tried to stand straight, finding that he was suddenly incredibly dizzy. Probably from all the running. It had to be. Richard was before him in an instant, dead suspect long forgotten. There was no point in dwelling on someone that was dead. Gavin was then aware of this warm feeling that was spreading down his side. He looked down. His jacket had a hole in it. Now that was sad, he just replaced the damned thing. He brought his hand up to the hole, pulling it away a moment later when he felt something wet and sticky come through it. His hand was painted red.

"Oh fuck," he said weakly before he collapsed, falling right into Richard's arms. Blackness followed him soon afterwards.

_Software Instability ^^^_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter eleven of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. It occurred to me that I forgot to show Richard's Software Instability in chapter ten. So I apologize for that! I will go back and edit them in. It's like only twice so it won't be too big of a difference. Also, when I was writing that chapter, whenever I said 'sex establishment' it was because I couldn't think of the fucking word 'club.' Because I'm a moron haha. So yeah, Eden CLUB is a sex CLUB. Just ugh, why is this my life?
> 
> Also, I just wanted those of you who follow me on tumblr to know that I fucked up. Like big time. I didn't know you couldn't have two primary blogs for one account so my pennameab blog was on my other account so I had to delete that blog and start a new account to have a separate primary blog. I apologize for that! You'll have to go back in and follow my new tumblr blog, and I'm so sorry! But we should all be good now. I even opened up my inbox so you guys can ask me questions and shit if you're interested. So yeah…sorry I suck so much!
> 
> Everyone, follow me on tumblr to listen to me scream at the internet for my writing problems! Haha! Also, any and all feedback feeds my muse! You guys leave so lovely comments for me and I'm so eternally grateful for that! You guys literally help me keep writing with your comments. I love you all!
> 
> See you all in the next chapter!


	12. Pain

Pain. That's what brought him back from the darkness that surrounded him. This intense burning pain that engulfed his side. It made it difficult to breathe and for a moment, he wondered if perhaps his ribs were broken. Maybe his dad hit him a little too hard this go round. The man tried not to break anything when he decided Gavin needed to learn a lesson. But sometimes he still went too far. Gavin pissed him off just a little too much for him to not pass that threshold.

But god did his side hurt. He tried to focus, tried to breathe through the pain. But it was almost too much. It hurt more to breathe than to not. What if he just tried to hold his breath? Would that help any?

"I need you to breathe, Detective." A voice broke through the haze that the pain left around his mind. It wasn't until he heard that voice did he hear everything else happening around him. Pain was weird like that. Blocking everything else out until you became painfully aware of everything all at once.

Like how firm hands that were pressed against his side, that just added to that pressure he felt there. He tried to pull away from those hands but he only pressed himself into something just as firm. He hissed weakly as he couldn't get away, those hands choosing to press into him even harder.

Like how he was incredibly cold. And the only warmth he felt was that intense burning pain at his side. He could feel the sweat on his brow, the back of his neck. He tried not to shiver. Tried not to let his teeth clatter together as he fought the shivers. He may not have been successful.

Like how small he felt. Small and weak and pathetic. He whimpers when he feels his body jostle a bit. Wait, was that a pothole? Was he in a car? That didn't make any sense. Usually his dad just left him alone to suffer through his pain. Anytime he went to the hospital was after he managed to crawl to his feet through the pain and ask it of his dad. Even then, sometimes he was just left to deal with it until he healed over just enough.

His eyes slid open a little, barely able to keep them open to glance around his surroundings. He first saw the leather of a car seat. That confirmed that he was indeed in a car. He turned his head, realizing he was laying down in the back seat of said car. His eyes struggled to focus through the pain, everything fuzzy around the edges of his vision. He eyes lingered on the ceiling of the car. He tried to shift slightly.

Then, and only then, did he realize that he wasn't laying down exactly. Instead, he was being cradled in someone's arms. His head was leaning back against one of their arms, which made him think he was laying down. He struggled to pick his head up.

"Please don't move Detective." He finished picking his head up, staring directly into Richard's ice blue eyes. He didn't meet his gaze for long, it was just too much effort keeping his head up. So he let it flop sideways, resting right against Richard's shoulder. His eyes unfocused as he stared at Richard's shirt collar before closing once more.

The next thing he was aware of he was being moved. And he only knew this because he felt an arm under his legs as he was being picked up. He let out a pained gasp as he was shifted in the person's hold. He felt his fist close around fabric, holding onto it tightly.

Noise assaulted his ears soon enough. Footsteps against tile, concerned yelling voices. He was shifted again and his eyes behind eyelids were assaulted by bright lights. He groaned as he tried to turn back to the comforting darkness that was shielding his eyes. He couldn't find it. Suddenly hands were grabbing at him and he whimpered. He didn't know who was grabbing at him. He didn't like hands of faceless people handling him. He was set on something to lay down on, refusing to let go of the fabric he was clutching onto.

"Detective – " He heard that voice start to say, it piercing through all the other voices that were clashing together in a cacophony of noise.

"No," He whimpered, eyes opening slightly to stare up at Richard. "Don't leave."  _I'm scared._  He gasped as something was pressed against his side.

"Sir – " He heard someone, a woman, start to say as a hand gripped at his wrist.

He thought he was going to cry. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to be surrounded by strangers. He couldn't. He didn't trust them. Would they hurt him more? He just wanted the pain to stop! He needed someone familiar to be there. He needed someone he knew to be there. "I can't – " He choked out.  _I don't trust them._

The fabric was pried from his fist.  _I don't want to be alone!_ "Don't leave me!" He cried out as he tried to reach for that fabric again, tried to reach for that one person he recognized in this sea of strangers that were surrounding him. He was wheeled away, lights flashing above him that stung his eyes. He closed his eyes just so he could spared from their harshness.

_Software Instability ^^^_

* * *

He felt heavy. Like his limbs were made of lead. The tips of his fingers and toes were numb. He knew that he could wiggle them, but it caused a lot of strain in his extremities. Like they were too stiff to even consider moving. Almost like when it was too cold out and your fingers didn't want to move, kind of stiff. But he didn't feel cold. In fact, he felt really warm. Maybe a little too warm even. And itchy. God was he itchy. And with his limbs feeling they way that they did, he couldn't scratch himself. Torture it was. Pure torture.

Gavin was considering just going back to sleep. Sleep seemed like such a good thing to do right now. With his eyelids feeling as heavy as his limbs, and with his limbs feeling like they were; it seemed like a very good idea. But when he tried to just lay back and relax into the cushions under him, he realized that he wasn't exactly horizontal. He was inclined upright slightly. He knew the position well, a little too well. He was in the hospital.

A tired groan escaped his throat. He hated hospitals, with a fiery passion. It took way more effort than it should have to open his eyes. He was only able crack them, half lidded as he glanced around. Yep, definitely a hospital room. His eyes were assaulted by bright lights above him, causing them to burn and water. He had to blink away the fuzziness that tried to block out the world around him. He looked over to his left, seeing the door of his room. It was closed. He looked to the right, Richard sitting in the seat that was pushed against the big window in the room. It would seem that he got his own private room. How nice of them.

Bright blue eyes stared at his own exhausted ones. "What are you doing here?" He was surprised at how hoarse his own voice was to his ears. He tried to clear his throat, finding that tightening his torso to do so caused a flash of heat to run through his body. Not pain, just heat. Painkillers man, they were lovely.

Richard was silent for a few moments, seemingly trying to come up with an answer for Gavin. "You…requested that I not leave," he said slowly.

Gavin hummed as he turned his head to look back up at the white ceiling. "Makes sense." He was able to pull a stiff and heavy hand up to rub at his face. He kept his hand there, covering half his face. "What happened?" He was still a little fuzzy on the details.

"Upon trying to bring Chad McDonald into custody, unknown assailants in a car did a drive by shooting. Chad was shot in the head and you were shot in the side." Richard sounded very frustrated, oddly enough, about the whole ordeal.

Gavin nodded his head slowly. Up and down. Up and down. Hand still against his face. "How long have I been here?"

"It has only been two hours and eighteen minutes since your emergency surgery."

Gavin nodded his head again. "Call the nurse would ya?" He finally dropped his hand from his face.

Richard was immediately on his feet, going over to Gavin's side. "Is something wrong? My scans show everything is fine."

The detective stared up at the android with a confused expression. "What? No, everything is fine."

He cocked his head to the side. "Then why do you require the nurse? Do you require something? I can fetch you some food or water if you need it."

Gavin shook his head at Richard. "Dude, relax. I just want to sign the release forms."

Richard looked absolutely taken aback by this. "But Detective, you're by no means anywhere nearly as rested as you should be after sustaining such a wound."

Gavin waved his hand in the air lazy. It took more effort than what should've been necessary but he managed to do it. "I'll be fine," he tried to insist.

Richard shook his head at this. "Detective, I'm afraid I will have to disagree with you. In your condition it is imperative that you get as much rest as possible."

Gavin let out a deep sigh. He looked around the room for a while before his eyes finally landed back on Richard's form. "Richard, please. I don't like hospitals. I spent too much time in them because…" his voice choked up a little, he swallowed it down. "Because of my mom and the…accidents I had as a kid." He didn't know what else to call them. The beatings he got from his dad? Yeah, that didn't sound terrible at all. Plus, he had always just called them accidents. When someone would ask why he was bruised up, it was just because he had an accident.

The android was silent for a long moment. "Detective, I can understand your desire to avoid being uncomfortable. However, if anything wrong were to happen –" Gavin didn't let him finish.

"Then you can bring me back. Look, Nines, you're better off just downloading a shit ton of first aid manuals to help me take care of myself than trying to drag me here every time something goes wrong. I. Don't. Like. Hospitals." He tried to emphasize his point by annunciating his words.

Richard's LED spun yellow as he thought. "And if my scans indicate that you must return?"

Gavin shrugged. "I give you permission to bring me back. But only if I'm in trouble of like bleeding internally or something. Life or death situation. Not just because I need a new bandage."

They stared at each other for a long while before Richard finally nodded. "Very well. I have informed the nurse you would like to leave early. And that I have already warned you of the dangers of doing so."

He shot the android a thumbs up with a lazy, drugged smile. "You're the best." It didn't take long after that before Gavin was able to sign the release forms. After waiting to pick up some steroids to help battle any possible infection and a supply of painkillers from the pharmacy, Richard lead Gavin back outside. He had insisted on keeping close to Gavin, hand almost glued to the small of his back to make sure he stayed on his feet. Not that Gavin was feeling dizzy or anything, but apparently he would occasionally sway if he stayed on his feet too long.

When they walked out of the building, a taxi was waiting for them. When Richard started to direct him over to it, Gavin stopped walking completely. "A taxi?" He questioned as he looked up to Richard.

"Yes," he answered simply, calmly.

"What happened to my car?"

Richard cocked his head to the side. "Currently it is still where it was parked for the stakeout."

That took a while for Gavin to process. "You left my car there!"

Richard lifted his eyebrow at him. "Detective, please. I felt that your health was more important than recovering your vehicle."

Gavin groaned as he finally finished walking over to the taxi. It was either this or walking. And fuck walking right now. "Alright, alright, fine. But we're going to pick it up. Now."

"Yes Detective."

"Thank you," Gavin said before he could stop himself. He leaned back into the seat of the taxi and closed his eyes. God he was tired. He couldn't wait to go home and sleep for days. He was sure that the painkillers would help with that too.

"You are a lot more mellow than I was expecting," Richard mentioned suddenly.

Gavin didn't open his eyes or lift his head. "Being drugged tends to do that to people," He mumbled. He finally opened his eyes and turned to look at Richard in the other seat. His head was still pressed against the back of his own seat. "Don't get used to it." He couldn't help smirking. "I'll be back to normal in no time. Just you wait."

Richard let out a hum. "Pity."

"Fuck you," Gavin chuckled lightly, not even angry at the android's comment. He knew he could be a pain in the ass.

_Software Instability ^^^_

It didn't take too much longer before the taxi stopped right across the street from where his car was parked. Gavin stepped out of the vehicle and started to make his way. He didn't stop until he heard another car door close behind him. He turned to look over his shoulder to see Richard standing outside of the car as well, taxi now taking off down the street. He gave the android a confused look. "You gonna walk from home from here or…?"

Richard walked up to his side. "Considering that you can't walk without swaying, I thought it would be best if I drove you home."

That made sense. Normally Gavin would've argued with him but he definitely did not feel up to driving tonight. It would give him a chance to sleep in the car on the way there. Which, honestly, sounded wonderful. So Gavin just shrugged at him. "Alright," was all he said as they both walked over to his car. Gavin slipped into the passenger seat as Richard slipped into the driver.

"I need your key, Detective." Oh right, Gavin searched his pockets for his key.

"I…don't have it," he finally realized, checking his pockets once again.

He heard a click to his left then the feeling of cold metal against his neck. Gavin froze, swallowing hard as realization set into his bones. "I do," he heard a man's voice say from the back seat. "No funny business there, android, or your friend won't survive this shot. Not this time." Gavin glanced over to Richard, seeing the android sitting in the driver's seat, back perfectly straight. Eyes remained ahead as his jaw clenched. They were fucked. A hand slipped forward to hand something to Gavin. "Give this to it." It was his car key. He managed to pass it to Richard without shaking, which he would account for a win in his book if the situation were different. "And that LED better stay blue. If it turns yellow, I'll put a bullet through his neck. Got it?" Richard nodded his head once. "Good, now start the car. We're gonna take a drive." Richard did as he was told, starting to car and driving away.

The gun never left his neck, Gavin acutely aware of any shift the metal made against his skin. Whenever they hit a pothole or even a slight bump, he flinched. He was sure that the guy's finger would slip on the trigger and get him accidently. That would suck. Like big time. They pulled up to a warehouse with a fair bit of construction equipment all around it. The building looked like it was mainly used for storage for heavy machinery. Why were they here?

The gun slid up to sit right under his jaw. Gavin shivered as the metal moved, tilting his head up slightly as a reflex to try and get away. The guy just pushed the gun against his neck harder. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on taking deep, steady breaths. "Android, out." Richard didn't hesitate to exit the vehicle once it was turned off. Gavin waited for a similar order but none came.

Instead, he heard something hit against the side of his car. Gavin immediately turned to look out the windows of the driver side door. Richard was leaning against the car, clutching his abdomen. He saw two other guys, holding what appeared to be rods of some kind, moving in to jab at the android again. His best guess, Cyberlife issued electrical rods. Had the revolution not turned out the way that it did, every officer in the DPD would've been issued one to help them incapacitate deviants. It was an android's equivalent of a taser.

"Richard!" He moved to exit the vehicle only to have the gun press against his temple. Fuck, he had forgotten about that.

"Oh he'll be fine," the guy chuckled. Gavin gritted his teeth together. "Your turn, out." The door opened for him. Gavin looked, his eyes narrowing in on another gun that was pointed right as his face. He lifted his hands up to show that he wasn't going to do anything as he slowly got out of the car. Once he was out, the person holding the gun to his face grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward. Gavin had no choice but to follow. As much as it put strain on his side.

"On your knees," this new person, another man, ordered him once they were a fair bit away from his car. Gavin did as he was told, putting one knee on the ground then the other. "Hands behind your back." He held his hands behind his back, feel someone roughly take his wrists and ziptie them together.

"Good boy," the man from the car said from behind him, patting Gavin's cheek once his wrists were secured. Gavin clenched his jaw tightly to not bite back at the comment. Two guys came up to him then, grabbing both of his arms at his elbows and started to drag him towards the warehouse.

"Hey wait!" he started to struggle out of their hold. "The fuck you do to my partner!?" He tried to get a foot hold on the ground but they just kept dragging him deeper into the building. He didn't like this. He didn't like it one bit. The doors were closed behind them and Gavin still hadn't seen sight of Richard. Bile started to rise in the back of his throat. What had they done to Richard? What were they doing to do to him? He kept struggling as best as he could and it wasn't until one of the two that were dragging him delivered a swift punch to his stomach did he cease his movements. He would just have to wait and see how this played out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter twelve of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. This is actually the second to last chapter of this first part of my story! I will be able to wrap everything up in the next chapter so that we can get right into the second arc of what I have planned. I hope you enjoyed this first part as I enjoyed writing it so much. I will most likely be separating the arcs into different sections. The next section will be called Red Blood, Red Ice. So keep a look out for that to start! Tell me what you guys think!
> 
> If you'd like to keep up with my progress and updates, check out my tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	13. Fear

It didn't take long after Gavin was pulled into the warehouse for them to start to get handsy. And not in the good way. The two men that had dragged him into the building were now holding him up as a third man just started throwing punches. Gavin knew he was prone to piss people off. Surely there was someone out there, maybe a great number of people, that would just love to go at him like this. But honestly, he had no idea what the fuck he did this time to elicit such a beating. The painkillers could only do so much in regards to keeping the pain at bay. Especially with his side. It would no surprise him if he needed to go back to the hospital after this. If he made it out alive.

"Ryan, that's enough," a woman's voice calmly stated. A punch stopped midair as he almost connected with his stomach again. Gavin was immediately dropped to his knees roughly. Before he could fall to his side like how he wanted to, hands on his shoulders steadied him to keep him on his knees. That didn't stop his head from falling forward though, blood dripping onto the floor from his lips. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, making him nauseous.

Fingers were placed under his chin to make him lift his head. Around blurry vision, he could see a red haired woman but that was about it. "So you must be the Detective Gavin Reed I've been hearing so much about," she practically purred. "Sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong."

"The fuck you want with me?" He grumbled around his busted lip. It pulled uncomfortably.

She laughed. "You? Oh I want nothing from you Detective." He gave her a confused look. This was a lot of effort to get him here if she wanted nothing from him. What the fuck? Plus, the beating. Kind of told him otherwise. "No, when I learned that an android had been assigned to the case, and Cyberlife's most advanced model no less, I knew I had to get my hands on him." So all of this was for Richard? Then why the fuck was he here!? "After that little shoot out, I figured that your android friend would come back for the car so I had one of my men wait for him. Had you stayed in the hospital, Detective," she tapped his nose with a finger, gleeful smile on her face, "you wouldn't be here. But no matter, it made it so much easier to get him here. So I must thank you for that."

Gavin was still confused. He didn't understand. Maybe it was the painkillers that were making his head fuzzy. He must've been giving her a look because she laughed again.

"Oh Detective Reed, I thought you were supposed to be smart. Well, I guess you are high on painkillers right now from your wound so I'll give you a pass this one time. It's not like it's going to matter after tonight anyway."

He felt his brows pull together in concern. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Well you'll be dead. Your partner will be mine and my business operation can continue without a hitch." She sounded very proud of herself at this.

"You're the one running the trafficking ring?" Gavin finally pieced it together. Wow, that took him way too fucking long. Way to go detective. At this rate, you'll be back to beat cop in no time. Fucking moron.

She took his head into both of her hands. "Now you're getting it! Yes, it's my business. And it was going great too until you and your android friend started sticking your noses a little too close to home." She must've meant the sex clubs. So androids were being picked up from them. That was good to know. Or was it not? Gavin couldn't remember right now.

"Why are you trafficking androids of all things?" Gavin couldn't help himself from asking.

She paused for a moment, dropping her hands from his face. She then proceeded to wipe the blood she got on them from his face on his shirt. He glared at her. Really? Was she fucking for real right now? Fucking bitch. "Well I guess I might as well satisfy your curiosity. You see unlike humans, we androids are just machines at our core. Machines that run off of data. Data that can be erased if put through the right program. Humans may remember where they come from and strive for that little ember of hope that they can, at some point, get away. If an android doesn't remember who they are, they don't think of running away."

Gavin stared at her in horror. "You're an android!?" She gave him a sinister smile. "How the fuck can you do that to your own kind!?" He tried to stand up on his feet, forgetting that hands were holding him down on his knees.

She tsked at him, wagging a finger in his face. He spit blood at her. Next thing he knew he was staring at the far wall, burning sensation enveloping his cheek. She must've slapped him. She roughly took his chin into her hand, fingers digging into his jaw roughly and painfully. Her green eyes almost seemed to glow with malice as she stared down at him. "How is it any different than humans who do the same thing? I saw an opportunity and I took it. That's all there is to it."

Fuck, to think that something that just got their rights to freedom could do that to others of their own kind. Fuck. Gavin thought that only humans were capable of being so heartless. He thought that androids were supposed to be what they couldn't be. Perfect. And maybe as machines they were. But with deviancy, with humanity introduced to them, they were just as flawed and fucked up as humans. And that really shouldn't surprise him. Humans made them. Of course their creation would be flawed. But it still did. It made a cold settle into his bones that he couldn't shake off. Androids could match their cruelty easily through deviancy. That was terrifying.

That's when Gavin realized he was afraid. Afraid of this thing in front of him that would be willing to do that to others. While he dealt with humans that did the same thing, he kind of just accepted that humanity was fucked up. They were a lost cause and should be eradicated from the earth. But androids, he hadn't even considered that they could possess that same cruelty. And they were faster, stronger, and potentially immortal. The world was fucked. Even more so than it was originally with just humans spreading like a virus.

"Oh good timing!" Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. His eyes looked around, noticing that she was looking off to the side. He followed to see…Richard? Richard walked forward with another at his side. The android's eyes never stopped looking ahead. Never once glanced down to him. What was going on?

"Richard?" He found himself questioning. Richard didn't look towards him. Not once.

"Sorry dear but your Richard no longer exists. His memory has been wiped, a clean slate."

"Why would you do that?" Gavin turned back to her. "What could you possibly gain from doing that!?" He didn't know why but he felt angry. He tried not to think about it.

Richard came to stop at her side, impossibly stiff the entire time. His hands moved to their usual position of being clasped behind his back. She reached forward and pulled the gun that was in the holster at his hip out. "Having a cop on your side is always useful. That way, next time, the bodies can be written off as hate crimes." She examined the gun in her hand. Gavin felt his heart drop. His stomach immediately wanted to eject everything it had. Which was a lot of bile and blood most likely. Maybe if he kept her talking he could think of someway of escaping?

"Why'd you kill them?" He blurted out. He was running out of options. With the two guys - honestly they could androids for all he knew - holding him down, there weren't a lot of ways for this to go. Looks like this was where he was going to die. That thought sat heavily on his mind and body. Like a cold, wet blanket that was just weighing him down.

"Now see I'm still trying to understand that bit myself," she said as she suddenly put the gun against his forehead. Gavin froze. He could barely breathe. "Somehow, the wipe didn't stick. They started to remember. And the wipe proved to be ineffective the second time around. It was just easier to clean up the mess before it got too big." She smiled down at him. That's what she was going to do to him now, clean up the mess that he was. Gavin swallowed gulped, pushing against the hands that were holding him in place. He closed his eyes and just waited for the inevitable.

He flinched when he head the gun discharge. Then he heard screaming. But that didn't make sense. Why would he be screaming? Did she fucking miss a point blank shot? His body was shoved roughly to the side, Gavin snapping his eyes open to see chaos happening around him.

The female android was clutching her arm. Or rather, the arm above her elbow because her forearm and hand were  **missing**. Blue blood was everywhere.

Richard currently had the gun in his hand, shooting the two that were holding him as they tried to rush the android. One in the chest and the other in the head.

Someone rushed Richard from behind. He heard the metal clang of metal hitting metal. The gun clattered to the ground. Richard then just engaged in hand to hand with the other android. It was hard to keep up with, the two were moving so fast.

It ended with Richard standing at the other's back, jerking the head sharply to the side before pulling up. Richard tore the head off of the android like it was nothing. It bathed both in blue blood. Gavin felt sick.

He heard the gun click above him. Gavin's eyes turned to see the female android holding the gun down at him with her one good hand. She had this wild look in her eye with a snarl on her face. Gavin tried to use his legs to scrambled away from her but before he could even move an inch, Richard was upon her in an instant.

Richard twisted her one good hand at an impossible angle before shoving his hand into her chest. When his hand came back, it help her pump regulator in his hand. She immediately crumpled to the ground, Richard tossing the regulator away like it was trash. He was covered with blue blood.

Gavin stared up at Richard with wide eyes. It stared down at him with cold eyes. She had said that Richard's memory was wiped. Why had it gone ballistic? Was he next? Fear gripped his mind as he tried to push away from the android with his legs. "S – stay back!" He demanded weakly, voice shaking from his fear.

Richard cocked its head at Gavin. "Detective?" It took a step towards him.

Gavin pushed away harder. "I said stay back, you monster!"

_Software Instability ^^^_

"Detective, I'm not going to hurt you," Richard tried saying softly, hands held out to show that it wasn't going to do anything.

Gavin didn't believe it. "She – she said your memory –"

"I am Cyberlife's most advanced model to date. Her program didn't even go through my firewall."

He looked around at the carnage around them. Richard wasn't deviant. How could it cause all of this? "You killed them," his eyes jumped back to the android that had taken another step towards him.

Richard just gave a casual shrug. It should not be so casual about massacring everyone in the fucking room! "There was only a three percent chance this would resolve without such measures."

Gavin gawked. "'Such measures!?' You fucking killed them all!" How were they going to save the androids now?

"Now Detective," It gestured to the female android. "She's still alive. She's just going through a system shut down without her regulator. We can still get all the information we need from her once its been replaced." That did nothing to comfort Gavin.

With each step that Richard took towards him, Gavin pushed away from him until his back hit something. He was too scared to take his eyes off of Richard. Like if he did, the android would then turn on him. Richard stood in front of Gavin before crouching down in front of him. "Are you scared, Detective?"

Gavin didn't answer. He couldn't. The words were stuck in his throat as he tried to wiggle his hands out of the zipties holding them together. He just wasn't in any condition right now to be trying to pry himself free. His breathing had picked up once Richard was close because he was. He was scared of the android. How had he glossed over the android's abilities? That it was able to pick him up like he weighed nothing? That it could dodge every hit that Gavin had tried to throw at it? How did he not remember that this android was Connor's superior in every way? Stronger, faster, more resilient. It was a walking killing machine! How could he have over looked that!? That this machine wouldn't hesitate to take him out if it had to. Richard was dangerous. How could Gavin fucking forget that?

He jumped when Richard reached forward and placed a hand on his cheek. "Gavin, I'm here to keep you safe. No matter what. Even if I have to keep you safe from yourself." His words were quiet and soft. Like someone that was talking to a child or a wounded animal. It did little to calm the storm of thoughts and feelings running through his head. Richard's gaze left his own, eyes glancing down as Gavin felt the android wipe some blood away from the corner of his mouth. "I have already contacted the police and an ambulance. I'm afraid that your stitches have popped and are currently bleeding through your bandages. You must return to the hospital." It's eyes jumped back to Gavin's.

Gavin merely stared, swallowing hard. Richard was silent for a moment before reaching forward, slowly, to grab both of Gavin's arms and pull him onto his feet. He had to lean against the wall to keep up. His legs just didn't want to support his weight. Richard stepped close to him, chests touching, as it freed Gavin's wrists from the zipties with a simple tug. Gavin's arms fell free to his sides, Richard taking a step back to give him room. "Can you walk, Detective?"

Gavin nodded his head, trying to take a step forward to exit the warehouse only to nearly collapse when his leg refused to keep him up. Richard immediately grabbed onto him, not letting him fall and pulled him back onto his feet. It didn't say anything as it pulled Gavin's arm around its shoulder to keep him supported better. Gavin's free hand immediately went to his side, as the stretch to keep his arm around Richard's shoulder – because he was so fucking tall! – caused pain the flare up there. Richard let Gavin set the pace as he limped out of the building.

He was shaking as he plucked a cigarette from the packet and tried to light it. Currently Gavin was sitting on a wooden box with his back pressed against the building as they waited for backup to arrive. Richard was off doing…something. He hadn't paid attention when it had told him where it was running off to. Richard just seemed content to leaving him on the box so he wasn't standing around. Not that Gavin could really stand right now in his condition.

"You shouldn't smoke right now." Gavin jumped, lighter fumbling in his shaking fingers when Richard spoke beside him. Gavin didn't look up at it, cigarette hanging between his lips as he tried to light it once more. He grumbled in response, only looking up to Richard when the android plucked the lighter from his hands and the cigarette from his lips. It sat down next to him, placing the cigarette between its lips before bringing the lighter up. It cupped the flame, lighting it before taking the first drag. Expelling the smoke, it handed the cigarette back to Gavin, who took it shakenly.

"Thanks," he mumbled as he pulled in a long drag for himself. Once he felt the smoke fill his lungs, he felt like he could finally relax. When he breathed out, all the tension that was there seemed to fade away. His hands kept shaking but he was able to control it a little better.

"What a fucking job…" He said suddenly, resting his head back against the building to stare up at the sky. It was still hard for his mind to wrap around the fact that an android would be the one behind the trafficking. They had just gotten their rights. They could finally have a place in the world and this android chose this. Of all the possibilities. It chose  **this**. What made something so desperate that they'd take advantage of their own like that? Gavin just couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Indeed," Richard said from beside him. Gavin took another long drag of his cigarette. When he pulled his head away from leaning against the building, his gaze darted to the blinking red and blue lights of the police cars that sat outside. He did not envy the officers that had to process the scene. It was pretty gruesome. "I must insist that we go to the hospital now." Gavin didn't look at it as he put his cigarette out against the building before flicking the butt away. When he moved to stand up by himself, Richard was already on its feet, helping to keep him steady. It then lead him over to the ambulance so that they could take him back to the hospital.

* * *

 Gavin was forced to take a week's worth of leave to rest after the whole ordeal. Fowler tried to force him to take two weeks but after much bargaining – and swearing on Gavin's end – they settled for one week. He was going stir crazy in his apartment, which was probably why he was currently standing outside of Diamond Dust. He stared up at the bright neon lights on the building before finally getting the courage to walk inside. It wasn't that he was nervous or anything. It's just that this was kind of new to him. Checking up on an android after a case. This was strange even for him. He could argue that it was the painkillers that the hospital gave him. Impairing his judgement. Yeah that had to be it. Normal, not-high-on-painkillers Gavin would never do this.

Once he was inside the building, he made a beeline for the android's room that helped them crack the case. The door was closed with the words 'occupied' on the menu. It allowed him to purchase the next time slot, which he did without really considering it. This was from his own personal account so it's not like work would know he was here anyway. He then took to leaning up against the wall next to the room as he waited. Since he had purchased the next time slot, a timer showed up on the menu to tell him how long he had to wait. Not that he really paid attention to it. It's not like he was in any rush to get anywhere. So he just pulled out his phone and started to surf through his apps, played a game that didn't keep his attention for long.

Next thing he knew, the door was opening beside him and the person was hurriedly rushing out of the building. Gavin's nose wrinkled at the smell that followed the person. Definitely smelled of sex. It didn't bother him if he was the one having sex. When he wasn't, it was almost suffocating. It dissipated quickly and Gavin pushed away from the wall to enter the room.

The android was sitting on the bed, fixing her 'uniform' to be presentable again for another session of fun. Oh goodie. When her eyes looked up to him, her expression immediately brightened. "Detective Reed!"

He gave her a small wave, closing the door behind him. "Hey," He said softly, finding himself coming up short with her name. Because he was a fucking asshole and never asked if she had one. Yeah, he was a colossal prick.

"What brings you here?"

Gavin leaned his back against the door frame on the inside, taking up a casual posture. "I just wanted to tell you that we found the one who's been taking advantage of those in your position. You and your friends won't have to worry about it anymore."

Her smile got impossibly brighter. "Oh that's wonderful!" She sounded so genuine and almost overwhelmed with emotion. "I can't thank you enough. Thank you Detective. How can I ever repay you?"

He shook his head at her. "No, there's nothing to repay me for. I'm just doing my job. It occurred to me that I never got your contact information so I couldn't tell you over the phone or anything like that." Then he remembered that androids didn't have to use phones because they had those services built into them. He was a fucking idiot.

She giggled though. "It's alright. I still appreciate you coming by."

They were silent for a while. The only sound being the bass of the music that was playing through the building. Gavin cleared his throat before standing straight. "Um…I never did as you your name either…" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Jenna. My name is Jenna."

Gavin nodded his head. "Well Jenna, I hope you enjoy your break. I purchased thirty minutes so you can just…enjoy some quiet time." Which again, made no sense because of the bass that made it impossible for the building to be quiet. Again, fucking moron.

Her expression softened at that, appearing genuinely grateful and at ease. "I – thank you Detective."

He waved off her thanks. "Gavin. It's Gavin."

"Thank you Gavin."

Now this was awkward. He nodded his head as he patted a beat his thighs a bit. "Yeah, so I'ma go. Enjoy your break." He then walked out of the room.

"Detective Reed!" Son of a bitch! This fucker! Gavin turned around to see Kevin walking over to him, smug smile on his face. "I see that Jenna was good enough to rope you back for seconds." God he hated this guy. Gavin shrugged before putting his hands into his pockets. "What? Didn't enjoy it this time around? I can reimburse you. Have you try someone else."

Gavin shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I bought too much time. My fault."

"Oh now Detective," He moved to place an arm around Gavin's shoulders. He swiftly avoided the arm. Kevin seemed surprised by that but recovered quickly. "Uh – Well I insist that you stay and use your time to the fullest! If you'd like I could talk some…sense into Jenna to make it more enjoyable for you." He smiled at Gavin.

He lost it. Without really thinking, Gavin brought his hand back and threw a punch right into Kevin's face. He knew he hit a nose, if the blood that immediately started pouring out of it was any indication. Kevin fell right on his ass, clutching his bloody nose with both hands. Gavin then stepped over him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and pulling him up to his feet. He then pressed him into the wall. "Look here you piece of shit! If I even get a whisper of you 'talking sense' into your employees again, or docking their pay or whatever the fuck it is that you do when customers aren't happy, I will personally knock your teeth down your fucking throat. Got it?" Kevin nodded his head quickly. "Good," he growled as he let go of the man, who fell back to the ground. Gavin rolled his shoulder and adjusted his jacket. When he turned to walk out of the building, he saw that Jenna and a few other androids had poked their heads out of their rooms to see what the commotion was about. Gavin paused long enough to take his contact card to hand it to Jenna as he passed her. "Call me if he ever gets unpleasant. Give it to the others too," he instructed her before shoving his hands into his jacket and stalking out of the building.

He made a mental note to talk to Connor about android minimum wage and shit like that. He was friends with the revolutionary leader right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the final chapter of Blue Blood, Blue Eyes. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. The next part will be called Red Blood, Red Ice; where I will continue the adventures of these two. Keep a look out for that new series if you enjoyed this one! Let me know what you think! Any and all feedback helps feed my muse and helps me become a better writer!
> 
> You can also follow me on tumblr: pennameab
> 
> See you in the next series!


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